English language manual

VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Table of Contents
What's New 9
Getting Started 12
Working with VEGAS Pro 16
The User Interface 16
Main toolbar 17
Window Docking Area and Floating Window Docks 19
Marker Bar 43
Track List 45
Timeline 48
The Transport and Editing Toolbar 51
Customizing the VEGAS Pro interface 58
Welcome Screen 69
Working with projects 72
Creating a new project 72
Setting project properties 72
Opening a project or media file 92
Creating rotated projects 96
Nesting projects 99
Nested Timelines 101
Opening a recent project 102
Saving a project 103
Project references in rendered files 109
Creating Project Notes 111

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Importing and exporting projects 113

Archiving projects 114
Working with P2 Video 116
Working with HDR video 118
Edit Decision Lists 118
Closing a Project 120
Adding, managing, and arranging media 121
Using the Project Media window 121
Previewing media files 133
Adding media files to your project 135
Using Storyboards 143
Working with high-frame-rate (HFR) clips 148
Adding layered PSD files to the timeline 150
Inserting a Slideshow 151
Importing media from a project file 153
Importing Broadcast Wave Format files 154
Importing Blackmagic RAW Format files 156
Using HitFilm effects 158
Sorting your media with bins 159
Viewing or changing media file properties 162
Inserting audio tracks 170
Inserting video tracks 172
Screen Capturing with VEGAS Capture 172
Converting video to 24p 174
Working with cameras 175
Previewing your project 185
Using the Video Preview window 185
Using an External Video Monitor 203

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Creating proxy files for high-definition editing 207

Selectively prerender video 208
Cleaning up prerendered video files 210
VEGAS Hub 211
Adding Stock Content 212
VEGAS Hub Explorer 216
Mobile Uploads - VEGAS Hub App 218
Media Share 221
Automatic project collections 228
Video Editing 231
Editing Tool 231
Editing events on the timeline 238
Track editing 390
Multicamera editing 429
Stereoscopic 3D editing 444
Using hardware controllers 464
Jog dial (not shown) 491
Video Design and Optimization 511
Applying effects 511
General options 616
Rectangle 686
Bar 687
Wipe 688
Ellipse 688
AI Features 705
Animating video events and tracks 756
Inserting Subtitles 772
Compositing video 793

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Color Grading 818

360° video 872
Audio Editing 879
Beat Detection 879
Tempo Detection 881
Recording audio 884
5.1 surround projects 892
Mixing audio 915
Adding a plug-in 947
Editing effects settings 947
Choosing an input device 949
Choosing an output device 949
Muting a bus 952
Soloing a bus 952
Adjusting panning 953
Adjusting volume 953
Adding a plug-in 972
Editing effects settings 973
Muting a track 980
Soloing a track 980
Arming tracks for recording 981
Toggling record input monitoring 982
Adjusting panning 983
Adjusting volume 983
Adding a plug-in 985
Editing effects settings 985
Muting a bus 989
Soloing a bus 990

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Adjusting panning 990

Adjusting volume 991
Loudness metering and logging 995
Timecode synchronization 997
Audio effects 1001
Extracting audio from CDs 1019
Exporting and sharing projects 1022
Rendering projects (Render As) 1022
Burning discs 1047
Printing video to tape 1058
Automation and Scripting 1074
Using automation 1074
Using Scripting 1102
Preferences 1107
General Tab 1109
Video Tab 1117
Preview Device Tab 1122
AJA devices 1122
Blackmagic Design DeckLink devices 1125
OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394/DV 1127
Windows Graphics Card 1129
Stereoscopic 3D Windows Graphics Card 1131
Audio Tab 1135
Audio Device Tab 1141
Advanced Audio Configuration 1145
Customizing ASIO port naming 1147
MIDI Tab 1151
VST Effects Tab 1152

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Editing Tab 1153

Display Tab 1159
CD Settings Tab 1163
Sync Tab 1165
Sync Settings 1165
MIDI Timecode Input - Advanced Settings 1166
MIDI Timecode Output - Advanced Settings 1167
MIDI Clock Output - Advanced Settings 1168
External Control & Automation Tab 1169
File I/O Tab 1174
Deprecated Features 1178
AI Smart Mask 1179
Working with the ProType Titler 1183
Using Vegas Pro Connect 1219
Stabilizing video clips (legacy plug-in) 1226
Text 1228
Appendix 1234
Specifications 1235
System requirements 1235
Supported file formats 1237
Keyboard shortcuts 1238
Glossary 1266
Technical Support 1297

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

What's New
For more information about the latest additions and your current build, open the
VEGAS HUB window | WHAT'S NEW.

VEGAS Pro 22
● Beat Detection

The Beat Detection tool analyzes a music file (or music in a video file) and marks
highlights, syncopated hits, drum rolls or any “interesting” events in the low-mid
and low-end of the audio frequency range. The markers serve as snap objects, so
when you add the file to your timeline you can easily edit your video to the musical
beats.

For more information, see Beat Detection (p. 879)

● Tempo Detection

The Tempo Detection tool analyzes a piece of music (or the music in a video file)
to determine the tempo of the piece and automatically sets your project prop-
erties to match the detected tempo. This makes editing the project easy, as you
can now set your timeline ruler to measures and beats and use the grid as ori-
entation and snap points for seamless cuts and edits in time with the music.

For more information, see Tempo Detection (p. 881)

● New MultiCam Audio Sync

What's New 9
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Synchronizing multicam events based on the audio from the clips the events hold
has been completely reworked. You can now select multiple events and quickly
synchronize them with options optimized for the type of audio contained in the
clips.

For more information, see Synchronizing Multicamera Audio (p. 432)

● AI AutoFrame

This AI-assisted tool automatically reframes your video when the delivery size of
your final render does not match the original aspect ratio. For instance, if you have
a standard widescreen video and need to deliver it in a square format for Ins-
tagram or other channels, this tool shifts focus to the most important object in the
video and keeps it centered in the new frame size while other material is cropped
out.

For more information, see AI Auto Reframe (p. 752)

● AI DeHaze

This AI-assisted plug-in analyzes your video for hazy elements like smoke, fog,
smog and so on and removes those elements in order to create a more crisp,
clearer image of your main video element.

For more information, see AI Dehaze (p. 745)

● AI Sharpen

Driven by AI, the AI Sharpen tool analyzes the edges of objects in your video and
enhances them to give the image a crisper, clearer lock. The enhancement can be
used to improve your video’s clarity or in many cases as a special effect to give
your video an unnaturally crisp look.

For more information, see AI Sharpen (p. 748)

● AI Smoothen

You can use this AI-driven tool to soften the edges of objects in your video. This
can result in something similar to a smudge effect where edges are not so clearly
delineated. You can use a small amount to give your video a subtly softer appear-
ance, or a large amount to create more of a special effect on your video.

What's New 10
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

For more information, see AI Smoothen (p. 750)

● New Welcome Screen

The Welcome screen has been completely redesigned to make it even more useful
in helping you start your editing session. Three tabs give you quick access to
new-project setup, previous projects, and materials to help you use VEGAS more
effectively.

For more information, see Welcome Screen (p. 69)

● Timeline Selection improvements

The timeline selection techniques have been refined to make selecting events
even easier. An intuitive left-click on an empty timeline space now enables you to
start a selection rectangle which you can modify in order to select whichever
events you want

For more information, see Creating selections and positioning the cursor (p.
240)
● Text-based Editing full release

Improvements and refinements have been made to the Text-based Editing tools
based on the feedback we received during the beta release cycle. You can now
more efficiently edit your video timeline by performing edits in the text transcript.

For more information, see Text-Based Editing (p. 714)

● Set the project tempo

New menu options make it easy to set your project tempo. With these you can eas-
ily open the project audio properties and enter the desired tempo. When you then
set your timeline ruler bar to Measures and Beats, the ruler will accurately reflect
the project tempo. When you match the project tempo to the tempo of the music
in your timeline, you can easily use the ruler to edit to precise measures and beats
of the music.

For more information, see Time ruler (p. 62)

What's New 11
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Getting Started
This chapter gives you a brief introduction to the basic functions and features in VEGAS
Pro. A more detailed description of the program functions can be found in the following
chapters.

Step 1: Getting to Know the Interface

Before you start working with VEGAS Pro, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the
interface to understand how it fits your needs.

The User Interface (p. 16)

Welcome Screen (p. 69)

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro Interface Tour

Getting Started 12
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Step 2: Select and Import Media

Before you can start editing your video, select the media you want to use and import it into
the project.

Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro The Basics

Step 3: Cut and Edit Videos

Cutting and trimming video is a key step, since it lets you remove unwanted parts and
tighten up your story.

Video Editing (p. 231)

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro The Basics

Getting Started 13
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Step 4: Optimize and Design

Once you've cut your videos, you can optimize and design them to make your movie more
engaging for your audience. You have the option of adding various effects, correcting
color and more to enhance your video.

Video Design and Optimization (p. 511)

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro Video FX

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro Color Grading

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro Titles and Text

Getting Started 14
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Step 5: Working with Audio

In addition to visual elements, audio plays a crucial role in creating an immersive exper-
ience. Learn how to edit and enhance your audio tracks to complement your video.

Audio Editing (p. 879)

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro Working with Audio

Step 6: Export your Project

As a final step, you can export your video in a suitable format to share with or present to
others.

Exporting and sharing projects (p. 1022)

HOW-TO VIDEO VEGAS Pro Rendering

Getting Started 15
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Working with VEGAS Pro

The User Interface

The VEGAS® Pro window is where you edit your project, and the screen is divided into sev-
eral areas.

Element More Information

1 Main Toolbar » Main toolbar

2 Window Docking Area

» Window docking area and floating window
docks

Working with VEGAS Pro The User Interface 16

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Element More Information

3 Ruler and Marker Bar » Marker bar

4 Track List » Track list
5 Timeline » Timeline
Transport and Editing Tool-
6
bar
» Transport & Editing toolbar
7 Status Bar

You can customize the VEGAS® Pro interface to suit your needs and working preferences.

For more information, see Customizing the VEGAS Pro interface (p. 58)

Main toolbar
From the View menu, choose TOOLBAR to toggle the display of the main toolbar.

The toolbar contains buttons that enable you to select frequently used commands quickly.
You can customize it by adding, removing, or reordering buttons.

For more information, see Customizing the toolbar (p. 59)

More inform-
Button Name Description
ation

New Empty Creates a new blank project using the Creating a new
Project default settings. project (p. 72)

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

More inform-
Button Name Description
ation

Opening a project
Opens an existing project or media
Open or media file (p.
file.
92)

Saving a project
Save Saves the current project.
(p. 103)

Rendering pro-
Saves your project in a new format as
Render As jects (Render As)
a single file.
(p. 1022)

Opens the Project Properties dialog

Setting project
Properties box allowing you to make changes to
properties (p. 72)
the current project.

Cutting, copying,
Deletes and copies the current event
Cut and pasting
selection to the clipboard.
events (p. 296)

Cutting, copying,
Copies the current event selection to
Copy and pasting
the clipboard.
events (p. 296)

Cutting, copying,
Pastes the contents of the clipboard
Paste and pasting
at the current cursor position.
events (p. 296)

Undoing and redo-

Undo Reverses the last action performed. ing edit oper-
ations (p. 384)

Undoing and redo-

Reverses the action of the UNDO com-
Redo ing edit oper-
mand.
ations (p. 384)

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Window Docking Area and Floating Window Docks

You can use the window docking area to keep frequently used windows available, but out
of the way, while you are working with a project. Large and well-defined target areas
enable you to accurately select the docking target. The outline indicators help you to see
exactly where the window will dock when you release the mouse button.

FIGURE Window Docking Area

Customize window layout

Customize the position of the window docking area and tabs according to your preference.

Position of Window Docking Area

● In the main menu, click Options | Preferences | Display tab.
◉ To display the window docking area at the top of the VEGAS® Pro window:
Enable the DISPLAY TIMELINE AT BOTTOM OF MAIN WINDOW check box.
◉ To display the window docking area at the bottom of the VEGAS® Pro win-
dow: Disable the DISPLAY TIMELINE AT BOTTOM OF MAIN WINDOW check
box.

Position of Tabs

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● In the main menu, click Options | Preferences | Display tab.

◉ To display the tabs at the top of docking windows: Enable the POSITION
TABS AT TOP OF DOCKED WINDOWS check box.
◉ To display the tabs at the bottom of docking windows: Disable the
POSITION TABS AT TOP OF DOCKED WINDOWS check box.

Hide a window

● Click the CLOSE button .

Show hidden windows

● In the main menu, click VIEW | WINDOWand select the window from the list.

Docking a window

Take advantage of the target areas to accurately select your desired docking location.

1. Hold the Ctrl key and drag the window by the title bar to the docking area or a
floating dock.

2. Choose between the existing dock area, a new horizontal dock area, or a new ver-
tical dock area.
A light gray outline shows you exactly where the edges of the window will be if
you release the mouse button.

3. Drop near the top of the window to create a tabbed window or a new docking
area.
You can dock several windows in the same area of the screen, and the windows
will be layered. Click a window’s tab to bring it to the top.

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To prevent a window from docking

● In the main menu, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES | DISPLAY tab.
◉ To prevent a window from docking by holding the Ctrl key: Enable the
ALLOW FLOATING WINDOWS TO DOCK check box.
◉ To prevent windows from docking automatically unless you hold the Ctrl
key: Disable the ALLOW FLOATING WINDOWS TO DOCK check box.

Undocking a window

● Click and drag the window tab out of the docking area or floating dock.

Expanding a docked window:

● Click the MAXIMIZE button , so it fills the docking area.

● Click the restore button to restore the window to its previous size.

TIP
Multiple floating docks

You can also create multiple floating docks to organize your VEGAS Pro windows.
These docks can float over the VEGAS Pro window or — if you have a dual-monitor
video card — on a secondary monitor.

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The Explorer Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EXPLORER to toggle the display of the EXPLORER window.

Like the Project Media window, you can use the Explorer window to view, preview, and add
media files to your project.

Name Item Description

Use the BACK and FORWARD buttons to navigate the

Back/Forward
folder history.

Address Bar 1 Displays the path to the current folder.

Displays all of the available files and folders where you

Tree View 2
can find media files.

Displays the folders and media files contained in the act-

Contents Pane 3
ive folder.

Up Opens the folder one level above the active folder.

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Name Item Description

Refreshes the contents of the active folder.

Refresh If you insert a new CD (or other removable media), click
to refresh the Explorer.

Delete Deletes the selected folder or file.

Adds the selected folder to the Favorites folder in the

Add to Favor-
tree view. The Favorites folder contains links to folders
ites
that you use most often.

Start Preview Plays the selected media file.

Stop Preview Stops the playback of the selected media file.

Automatically preview media files when you click them in

Auto Preview the Explorer window. For more information, see Pre-
viewing media files (p. 133)

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Name Item Description

Allows you to change the way the files are viewed in the
list view.
● DETAILS – Displays the file size, date and when
the file was last created or last modified.
● LIST – Displays a simple list of the file name of
each file in the Explorer window.
● THUMBNAIL – Displays the first frame of a video
file.
Views ● REGIONS – Displays any regions that have been
defined in the selected media file.
● SUMMARY – Displays a short description of the
selected media file at the bottom of the Explorer
window.
● TREE – Displays all of the available drives and
folders that you may choose from to find files.
● ALL FILES – Displays all file types in the active
folder.

Adding regions from a file to the timeline

When REGIONS is selected in the Explorer window, any regions saved in the selected file
are displayed in the bottom of the Explorer window.

You can drag a region to the timeline to create an event using a portion of a file.

TIP You can save regions and markers in a media file using the Trimmer window.
For more information, see Using the Trimmer (p. 314)

» Click the down arrow next to the VIEWS button and choose REGIONS to toggle the
display of regions in the Explorer window.

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Using the Favorites folder

Select the Favorites folder in the tree view to view the contents of the Favorites folder.
This folder contains shortcuts to folders that you use often.

TIP
Favorites are saved in the following file: C:\Users\user name\Ap-
pData\Local\Vegas\VEGAS Pro\22\NewExplorerFavorites.txt.

The file is saved whenever you close the Explorer window or exit the application. You
can copy the file to different computers or user accounts to migrate Favorites settings.

To see this file, you must have the SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS radio button
selected on the View tab of the Folder Options Control Panel.

Adding a folder to the Favorites folder

1. Browse to the folder you want to add.

2. Right-click the folder and choose ADD FOLDER TO FAVORITES from the shortcut
menu. A shortcut to the folder is added to the Favorites folder.

Removing a folder from the Favorites folder

1. Select the Favorites folder.

2. Right-click the folder you want to delete and choose DELETE from the shortcut
menu.

NOTE Deleting a folder from Favorites deletes only the shortcut to the folder; the target
folder is unaffected.

The Trimmer Window

The Trimmer window is a good place to edit any media file. When a media file is placed in
the Trimmer window, you can place portions of the file on separate tracks by dragging and
dropping.

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For more information, see Using the Trimmer (p. 314)

The Master Bus Window

The Master Bus window provides you with a streamlined view of your project's master out-
put.

For more information, see Using the Master Bus Window (p. 928)

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The Video Preview Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO PREVIEW to toggle the display of the Video Preview win-
dow.
The Video Preview window displays a project's video output at the current cursor position
during editing and playback. The playback includes any effects that you have applied to it.
This window is also useful when editing frame by frame for synchronizing audio. Right-
click anywhere in the window to display a shortcut menu with Video Preview window
options.

For more information, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185)

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The Project Media Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | PROJECT MEDIA to toggle the display of the Project Media win-
dow.

You can use the Project Media window to collect and arrange all the media you will use in
your project. You can add media, preview it, view and change file properties, and add
effects to a file.

For more information, see Using the Project Media window (p. 121).

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The Edit Details Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to toggle the display of the Edit Details window.

The Edit Details window displays a database for all of the media in your project. It shows
information about how files in the project are being used and allows you to modify many of
those properties. You may sort, add or change information, rearrange columns, and edit
items in the project.

This window provides an alternate method for working with events, audio CD track lists,
commands, markers, and regions.

For more information, see Using the Edit Details Window (p. 381)

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The Transitions Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | TRANSITIONS to display or hide the Transitions window. Use
this window to choose and preview transition effects that you can use to control how a
video event begins or ends, or to change the way one event flows into another.

At the top of the window you can see the available video effects organized into categories.
In addition to categories such as FADES, WIPES or 3D EFFECTS, there are three special
categories:

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● ALL PLUG-INS: All available plug-ins are listed here.

● THIRD PARTY: Additionally installed third-party plug-ins are displayed here. If you
select this category, an additional FILTER drop-down menu will appear in the
upper right corner, where you can filter the third-party plug-ins by provider.
● FAVORITES: All plug-ins that you have marked as favorites are listed here. You
mark a plug-in as a favorite by clicking on the little star in front of the plug-in

name .

The left pane lists each of the available transitions of the selected category. The thumbnail
images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for the selected transition.
Hover your cursor over a preset to see an animated example.

Drag a transition preset to overlapping video events in the timeline to add a transition.

You can type in the SEARCH PLUG-INS box to find plug-ins. For example, if you wanted to
find a specific color-correction plug-in, you could type "color" in the box to display only
plug-ins that include the term "color" in the plug-in name, description, or group name.

For more information, see Transitions (p. 521)

The Video FX Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO FX to toggle the display of the Video FX window.

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At the top of the window you can see the available video effects organized into categories.
In addition to categories such as COLOR, LIGHT or UTILITY, there are three special cat-
egories:

All All available plug-ins are listed here.

Additionally installed third-party plug-ins are displayed here. If you

select this category, an additional FILTER drop-down menu will
Third party:
appear in the upper right corner, where you can filter the third-party
plug-ins by provider.

All plug-ins that you have marked as favorites are listed here. You
mark a plug-in as a favorite by clicking on the little star in front of the
Favorites:

plug-in name .

The left pane lists each of the available video effects of the selected category. The thumb-
nail images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for the selected effect.

» Hover your cursor over a preset to see an animated example.

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

TIP You can type in the SEARCH PLUG-INS box to find plug-ins. For example, if you
wanted to find a specific color-correction plug-in, you could type "color" in the box to
display only plug-ins that include the term "color" in the plug-in name, description, or
group name.

You can drag a preset thumbnail to a track, event, or to the VIDEO PREVIEW window to
apply the effect.

For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

The Media Generators Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | MEDIA GENERATORS to toggle the display of the Media Gen-
erators window. You can use this window to add text, titles, backgrounds, and other gen-
erated media.

At the top of the window you can see the available Media Generators organized into cat-
egories. In addition to categories such as CREATIVE GRAPHICS, TEXT AND TITLES or
UTILITY, there are three special categories:

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All plug-ins: All available plug-ins are listed here.

Additionally installed third-party plug-ins are displayed here. If you

select this category, an additional FILTER drop-down menu will
Third party:
appear in the upper right corner, where you can filter the third-party
plug-ins by provider.

All plug-ins that you have marked as favorites are listed here. You
mark a plug-in as a favorite by clicking on the little star in front of the
Favorites:

plug-in name .

The left pane lists each of the available media generators of the selected category. The
thumbnail images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for the selected
effect. Hover your cursor over a preset to see an animated example.

TIP You can type in the SEARCH PLUG-INS box to find plug-ins. For example, if you
wanted to find a specific color-correction plug-in, you could type "color" in the box to
display only plug-ins that include the term "color" in the plug-in name, description, or
group name.

You can drag a preset thumbnail to a track to add media.

For more information about using generated media, see Adding generated media to
your project (p. 530)

The Project Notes window

Project Notes allow VEGAS Pro editors to leave themselves notes in a project or to col-
laborate on a project and leave notes for each other along the way.

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For more information, see Creating Project Notes (p. 111)

The Compositors Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | COMPOSITORS to toggle the display of the Compositors win-
dow. You can use this window to add compositing effects.

At the top of the window you can see the available compositors organized into categories.
In addition to categories such as CREATIVE or UTILITIES there are three special cat-
egories:
● ALL: All available plug-ins are listed here.

● THIRD PARTY: Additionally installed third-party plug-ins are displayed here. If you
select this category, an additional FILTER drop-down menu will appear in the
upper right corner, where you can filter the third-party plug-ins by provider.
● FAVORITES: All plug-ins that you have marked as favorites are listed here. You
mark a plug-in as a favorite by clicking on the little star in front of the plug-in

name .

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The left pane lists each of the available compositors of the selected category. The thumb-
nail images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for the selected effect.
Hover your cursor over a preset to see an animated example.

TIP You can type in the SEARCH PLUG-INS box to find plug-ins. For example, if you
wanted to find a specific color-correction plug-in, you could type "color" in the box to
display only plug-ins that include the term "color" in the plug-in name, description, or
group name.

You can drag a preset thumbnail to a track to add media.

For more information, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

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The Plug-In Manager Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | PLUG-IN MANAGER to toggle the display of the Plug-In Man-
ager window.

You can use this window to access effects and effects packages that can be applied to
events, tracks, and buses. This window also allows you to rename and reorganize plug-ins.

For more information, see Applying effects (p. 511)

TIP To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins and plug-in packages from the Plug-
In Manager window to events, tracks, buses, and the Audio Plug-In, Video FX, or Video
Preview windows.

The Video Scopes Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO SCOPES to toggle the display of the Video Scopes win-
dow in VEGAS® Pro.

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Broadcast video uses a narrower range of color than the RGB you see on your computer.
When you broadcast a project that contains out-of-gamut (out-of-range) colors, you can
introduce image problems or even noise into the audio stream.

Use the scopes to analyze your video and adjust accordingly with the Brightness and Con-
trast, Broadcast Colors, Color Corrector, Color Corrector (Secondary), and Levels plug-ins
before rendering.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose which scope you want to display.

For more information, see Monitoring video with scopes (p. 853)

The Surround Panner Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | SURROUND PANNER to toggle the display of the Surround Pan-
ner window. Use the Surround Panner window to pan tracks, busses, and assignable
effects chains.

For more information, see 5.1 surround projects (p. 892)

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The Mixing Console Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | MIXING CONSOLE to display the Mixing Console window.

The Mixing Console window provides an integrated view of all tracks and busses in your
project using the appearance of a traditional hardware-based mixer.

For more information, see The Mixing Console (p. 961)

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Loudness meters
Choose VIEW | WINDOW | LOUDNESS METERS to display the Loudness Meters window.

The Loudness Meters provide data about an audio file's momentary loudness, short-term
loudness, integrated (overall) loudness, and loudness range. You can use these values
when mastering for broadcast to ensure compliance with loudness standards (such as the
CALM Act).

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The meters display real-time values for each of the following measurements:
● The M meter represents the momentary loudness — in loudness units (LU) —
across all audio channels based on 400-millisecond integration windows. The
MOMENTARY box displays a numeric representation of the momentary loudness.
● The S meter represents the short-term loudness — in loudness units — across all
audio channels based on 3-second integration windows. The SHORT box displays
a numeric representation of the short-term loudness.
● The I meter represents the integrated loudness — in loudness units — across all
audio channels over the duration of the program. The INTEGRATED box displays a
numeric representation of the integrated loudness and includes an over-target
indicator.
● The LRA meter represents the loudness range — in loudness units — of the
momentary and short-term levels. The LOUDNESS RANGE measurement provides
a standardized method of determining the dynamic range of the signal.
● The TRUE PEAKS meter represents the peak levels in dB FS. True peaks are cal-
culated using a higher sample rate than peaks in the Master Bus window for
increased accuracy.
The True Peaks indicator shows you whether the target loudness has been
exceeded. The indicator is reset when you restart playback, or you can right-click
the Loudness Meters window and choose RESET CLIP from the shortcut menu.

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The statistics on the left side of the window display the last-calculated values and are
reset when you restart playback. You can reset the values by right-clicking the Loudness
Meters window and choosing RESET METERING ENGINE from the shortcut menu.

TIP
Loudness is recalculated whenever you start, stop, seek, or change playback direction.
If you want to force a recalculation, right-click the window and choose RESET
METERING ENGINE from the shortcut menu.

When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Project Prop-
erties dialog is set to 5.1 SURROUND, surround processing is applied when measuring
loudness (a gain of ~1.5 dB is applied to the left and right surround channels). When the
MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list is set to STEREO, all channels contribute equally
to the loudness measurement.

Choosing a metering mode

To change the mode of the meters, choose OPTIONS | LOUDNESS METERS, and then
choose EBUR 128 MODE or ATSCA 85 MODE from the submenu (you can also right-click
the meter to set its options).
● When using EBU R 128, the target value of the INTEGRATED meter is -23 LUFS,
and the maximum TRUE PEAK value is -1.0 dB FS. Use this mode when you're mas-
tering toEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) standards.
● When using ATSC A 85, the target value of the INTEGRATED meter is -24 LUFS,
and the maximum TRUE PEAK value is -2.0 dB FS. Use this mode when you're mas-
tering toNorth American Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) stand-
ards.

The over-target indicators will be triggered if the targetvalues for INTEGRATEDand TRUE
PEAKSmeters are exceeded.

Choosing a loudness scale

To change the scale of the meter, choose OPTIONS | LOUDNESS METERS | LOUDNESS
SCALE, and then choose EBU+9 or EBU +18from the submenu (you can also right-click the
meter to set its options).

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● When using EBU+9, the meters are displayed with a range of -18 to +9 LU.

● When using EBU+18, the meters are displayed with a range of -36 to +18 LU.

NOTE Choosinga wide range allows you to see low-level signals at the
expense of precisiondisplay at high levels.

Select ABSOLUTE (-23 LUFS) if you want to display loudness values as Loudness UnitsFull
Scale (LUFS). When ABSOLUTE(-23 LUFS) is not selected, all values are expressed as Loud-
nessUnits (LU) relative to the selected mode (EBUR 128 MODE or ATSCA 85 MODE).

Configuring peak meters

To toggle the True Peaks meters in the Loudness Meters window,choose OPTIONS |
LOUDNESS METERS | SHOW TRUE PEAK METER (you can also right-click the meter to set
its options).

TIP Please note that true peaks arecalculated using a higher sample rate than peaks in
theMaster Bus window for increased accuracy.

Peak levels may be miscalculated if audio signals are asymmetricalor if a DC offset is

present. To enable filtering, choose OPTIONS | LOUDNESS METERS | TRUE PEAK
BLOCKING FILTER. When TRUEPEAK BLOCKING FILTER is selected, peaks are calculated
as the maximumof the filtered and unfiltered signals.

NOTE Choosing a wide range allows you to see low-level signals at the expense of pre-
cision display at high levels.

Marker Bar
The marker bar displays markers that you add to your project. Markers are a handy way to
ease navigation in the timeline. They can be used to indicate sections of projects, or you
can use markers as snap points for editing.

For information about inserting markers, see Inserting markers (p. 267)

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A shortcut menu is displayed when you right-click the marker bar:

Item Description

LOOP PLAYBACK Sets the time selection range to repeat the music when played.

Sets the loop region to the visible edges of the timeline. If the
SET SELECTION
entire project is displayed, the loop region is set to the ends of
TO VIEW
the project.

SET SELECTION
Sets the loop region to the ends of the project.
TO PROJECT

SELECT LOOP
Creates a time selection based on the current loop region.
REGION

Choose a command from the submenu to add or delete mark-

Markers/Regions ers or regions. For more information, see Inserting mark-

ers (p. 267) and Inserting regions (p. 269)

QUANTIZE TO Forces edits to occur on frame boundaries. For more

FRAMES
information, see Quantize to frames (p. 293)

When snapping is enabled, the SNAP TO GRID and SNAP TO

ENABLE
SNAPPING MARKERS commands become available. For more inform-
ation, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

Select this command to force elements in the timeline to snap

SNAP TO GRID to the grid. The grid is defined in units of time. For more
information, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

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Item Description

Select this command to force elements in the timeline to snap

SNAP TO
MARKERS to markers. For more information, see Enable snapping (p.
290)

Select this command to force elements in the timeline to snap

SNAP TO ALL
EVENTS to the ends of events on other tracks. For more inform-
ation, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

Choose a command from the submenu to set the spacing of

GRID SPACING
vertical grid lines along the timeline.

Opens the Prerender Video dialog, where you can create a full-
SELECTIVELY quality preview of your project as it will appear in its final form.
PRERENDER
VIDEO For more information, see Selectively prerender video (p.
208)

Removes the temporary files created as a result of using the

CLEAN UP
PRERENDERED SELECTIVELY PRERENDER VIDEO command. For more
VIDEO
information, see Cleaning up prerendered video files (p. 210)

Track List
The track list displays all of the audio and video tracks in your project and contains the mas-
ter controls for each track. A scrub control and playback rate slider is also available below
the track list.

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For more information, see Audio track controls (p. 915) Video track controls (p. 399)
and Scrubbing (p. 388)

Track Headers
The Track Headers have been designed to be less cluttered and take up less screen real

estate. You can use the More button , located just above the track number in the track
header, to quickly assess buttons that are not displayed or to select which buttons are dis-
played by default each time you open the program.

To access a button not currently shown in the track header, click the More button to
open the menu. Select the command according to the button from the drop down list.

To add a button to the track header, click the More button to open the button selection
menu. Choose EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET from the drop down list. Click the checkbox of
the button(s) you want to be shown in the track header and click OK.

If you want all of the buttons to show on the Track Header, click the More button to
open the button selection menu, choose EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET from the drop down
list, click the SHOW ALL button, and click OK.

TIP
You can quickly reset the buttons displayed on the Track Header to the factory default
by choosing VIEW | WINDOW LAYOUTS | DEFAULT LAYOUT (Alt+D, D).

NOTE
This resets the application back to all of the factory default settings, not just the Track
Header defaults.

There are times when you need to free up as much screen/track real-estate as possible.
The video and audio Track Headers have been designed to accommodate that. You can go
from full to minimal to very minimal and back again quickly and easily.

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1. Click the More button and choose EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET

2. Click the HIDE ALL button and click OK

3. Do the same for both audio and video tracks. You now see only the faders and pan
controls

4. Place the cursor on the vertical border between the track headers and the tracks.
The mouse will change its shape to a line with a double-headed arrow . Click and
drag to the left until all you see are the track numbers and More button. To return
to the default Track Header size drag the border back to the right, or double click
the border.

NOTE
You don’t need to hide all the buttons for this to work. As you drag the Track Header
border to the left it will automatically hide the buttons. You can always get to hidden

buttons via the MORE button. Double-clicking the border will take you to and from
full Track Header width and just the track color bars.

Time Display
The Time Display window shows the current cursor position, MTC input, MTC output, or
MIDI clock output time.

Right-click the window and choose a command from the submenu to change the display
format.

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Item Description

Time at
Displays the current cursor position using the current time format.
Cursor

MIDI Time- Displays incoming MIDI timecode. For more information, see
code In
Trigger from MIDI Timecode (p. 999)

MIDI Time- Displays outgoing MIDI timecode. For more information, see
code Out
Generate MIDI Timecode (p. 997)

MIDI Clock Displays outgoing MIDI clock. For more information, see Gen-
Out
erate MIDI Clock (p. 998)

Choose TIME FORMAT and choose a setting from the submenu to

Time Format set the time units used in the Time Display and Time Ruler. For
more information, see Time ruler (p. 62)

Choose CUSTOM to specify the color that will be used to display

Text Color
the text in the window.

Choose CUSTOM to specify the color that will be used to display

the background of the window.
Background
Color NOTE Changing the Time Display window colors affects only the
current color scheme. You can change the color scheme on the
Display tab of the Preferences dialog.

Timeline
The timeline is the main part of the VEGAS Pro window where you will be doing most of
your work. The majority of the window consists of actual track space. This area contains
the drawn events on each track.

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1 Time ruler

2 Track height control

3 Zoom tool

4 Time zoom control

5 Length boxes

6 Transport and Editing toolbar

TIP You can choose EDIT | NAVIGATE and choose a command from the submenu to
navigate the timeline quickly.

1 Time ruler

Displays the time in the format you select.

For more information, see Time ruler (p. 62)

2 Track height control

Click + to increase the height of the tracks, or click - to decrease track height.

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TIP You can also click in the space between the + and - buttons and drag vertically for
adjusting track height.

3 Zoom tool

Click the ZOOM TOOL button in the corner of the timeline to temporarily change the
cursor into the Zoom tool. Select an area of the timeline that you want to magnify, and the
cursor will revert to the previously active tool.

TIP
Vertical scroll bar

Double-clicking the vertical scroll bar will zoom the project out so that as many tracks
as possible will be displayed.

Horizontal scroll bar

Drag the scroll box to pan the view of the project left or right. The ends of the scroll bar
also function as zoom controls. You can zoom the project in and out by dragging the
edges of the scroll box.

Double-clicking the horizontal scroll bar will zoom the project out so that the entire
length of the project will be displayed.

4 Time zoom control

Click + to zoom in horizontally, or click - to zoom out.

TIP You can also click in the space between the + and - buttons and drag horizontally
for adjusting zoom.

5 Length boxes

The length boxes display the start time, end time and length of a selected time range. If
there’s no time selection, the first box shows the current cursor position.

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Selection Selection Selection

start end length

You can double-click the boxes and type a value to change the start, end or length of the
current selection.

For more information, see Creating selections and positioning the cursor (p. 240)

6 Transport and Editing toolbar

The editing toolbar is displayed below the timeline and provides access to tools you'll use
while editing events on the timeline.

For more information, see The Transport and Editing Toolbar (p. 51)

The Transport and Editing Toolbar

The Transport and Editing toolbar provides controls for playback, recording, and cursor-
positioning buttons and timeline editing.

During project playback, audio tracks will be mixed to the Master bus unless you are using
a custom bus assignment. Video tracks will be mixed to the Video Preview window.

For more information, see Assigning tracks to busses (p. 936) and Using the Video Pre-
view window (p. 185)

TIP You can choose EDIT | NAVIGATE and choose a command from the submenu to
navigate the timeline quickly.

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Button Name Description

Starts recording on all armed tracks. If no tracks are

armed, a new track will be created automatically.
Record

For more information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

Loop Play- Plays only the events in the loop region in a continuous
back mode.

Starts playback from the beginning of the project regard-

Play from
less of the current cursor position. When you stop play-
Start
back, the cursor returns to its original position.

Starts playback from the cursor position.

TIP Select the MAKE SPACEBAR AND F12

PLAY/PAUSE INSTEAD OF PLAY/STOP button in the
Play Video Preview window if you want the F12 and space-
bar keyboard shortcuts to toggle between Play and
Pause mode. In this mode, the cursor will maintain its
position.

Pauses playback and leaves the cursor at its current pos-

Pause
ition.

Stops playback or recording and returns the cursor to its

Stop
starting position.

Go to Start Moves the cursor to the beginning of the project.

Go to End Moves the cursor to the end of the project.

Moves the cursor to the previous frame.

Previous
Frame TIP Click and hold the PREVIOUS FRAME and NEXT
FRAME buttons to move the cursor multiple frames.

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Button Name Description

Next Frame Moves the cursor to the next frame.

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Button Name Description

Select this button to perform event editing. Click the

down arrow and choose a tool from the menu to select
the mode that will be used for editing events.

For more information, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

●
NORMAL EDIT TOOL: Use to trim the ends of
events.

For more information, see Adjusting an

event's length (p. 327)

●
SHUFFLE TOOL: Use to rearrange events on
the timeline.

For more information, see Shuffling events

Normal Edit
(p. 313)
Tool
●
SLIP TOOL: Use to slip an event's media
without moving the event on the timeline.

For more information, see Slipping and slid-

ing events (p. 336)

●
SLIDE TOOL: Use to move an event on the
timeline without moving the underlying media.

For more information, see Slipping and slid-

ing events (p. 336)

●
TIME STRETCH/COMPRESS TOOL: Use to
make events longer or shorter while changing the
velocity of the media to create fast- or slow-

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Button Name Description

motion effects.

For more information, see Adjusting an

event's length (p. 327)

●
SPLIT TRIM TOOL: Use to split an event at the
point you click and trim the event in the direction
you drag (eraser mode).

For more information, see Slipping and slid-

ing events (p. 336)

Select this button when you want to edit multiple envel-

Envelope Edit opes without moving the events.
Tool
For more information, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Select this button when you want to select multiple

Selection Edit events.
Tool
For more information, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Magnifies the current project.

Zoom Edit
Tool
For more information, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Deletes the selected events or tracks.

Delete
For more information, see Deleting events (p. 300)

Trims a time selection.

Trim
For more information, see Trimming events (p. 303)

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Button Name Description

Trims the start of the selected event to the cursor.

Trim Start
For more information, see Trimming events (p. 303)

Trims the end of the selected event to the cursor.

Trim End
For more information, see Trimming events (p. 303)

Click to split an event.

Split
For more information, see Splitting events (p. 310)

Click to Smart Split an event.

Smart Split
For more information, see Smart Splitting Events (p.
311)

Locks an event so that it cannot be moved or edited.

Lock
For more information, see Applying switches to
events (p. 359)

Adds a marker at the cursor position.

Insert Marker
For more information, see Inserting markers (p. 267)

Adds region tags at each end of the selection.

Insert Region
For more information, see Inserting regions (p. 269)

Turns on snapping and enables the SNAP TO GRID and

Enable Snap- SNAP TO MARKERS commands.
ping
For more information, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

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Button Name Description

Select this button to automatically create a crossfade

when two or more events overlap.
Automatic
Crossfades
For more information, see Automatic crossfades (p.
289)

Select this button and choose a mode from the drop-

down list to automatically ripple the contents of the
timeline following an edit after adjusting an event's
Auto Ripple
length, cutting, copying, pasting, or deleting events.

For more information, see Post-edit ripple (p. 307)

Select this button if you want envelope points to follow

Lock Envel- an event when it is moved along the timeline.
opes to
Events For more information, see Video track automation
(p. 1081)

Select this button to override event groups without

Ignore Event removing the groups.
Grouping
For more information, see Grouping events (p. 356)

Select this button to show or hide the HDR-compatible

Color Grading tools.
Color Grading

For more information, see Color Grading (p. 818)

Select this button to close the current nested timeline

Open Parent and open its parent timeline.
Timeline
For more information, see Nested Timelines (p. 101)

Open Nested Select this button to open the currently selected event
Timeline as a nested timeline.

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Button Name Description

Create Nes- Select this button to create and open a nested timeline
ted Timeline from the currently selected timeline events.

Customizing the VEGAS Pro interface

You can customize the VEGAS® Pro interface to suit your needs and working preferences.

TIP
● If you prefer to work with the timeline at the bottom of the window and the
docking area at the top of the window, select the DISPLAY TIMELINE AT
BOTTOM OF MAIN WINDOW checkbox on the Display tab of the Preferences

dialog. For more information, see Display Tab (p. 1159)

● The track list, timeline, and window docking area sections can be sized to your
preferences by dragging the dividers between them or by using F11:
● F11 minimizes and restores the window docking area.

● Shift+F11 minimizes and restores the track list.

● Ctrl+F11 maximizes and restores the timeline vertically and horizontally

(window docking area and track list will be hidden).

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Hidden buttons
Several areas of the UI have been designed so that you can customize which buttons are
displayed by default. Examples of this are the tool bars found in the Video Preview win-
dow, the Trimmer window, and the audio and video Track Headers.

Access to the buttons that are not currently displayed can be achieved via the More but-

ton . The More button also gives you access to the EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET com-
mand which enables you to control which buttons are displayed by default.

To access a button not currently displayed:

1. Click the More button

2. Click the command in the pop-up menu to perform the action of that button.

To choose which buttons are displayed by default:

1. Click on the More button and choose EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET

2. Click the checkbox for any button you want to be displayed by default.

Customizing the toolbar

From the Options menu, choose CUSTOMIZE TOOLBAR or CUSTOMIZE TIMELINE
TOOLBAR to add, remove, and rearrange buttons on the toolbar.

For more information, see Main toolbar (p. 17) or The Transport and Editing Toolbar (p.
51)

NOTE To return the toolbar to its original configuration, click the RESET button.

Adding a button to the toolbar

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1. From the Options menu, choose CUSTOMIZE TOOLBAR or CUSTOMIZE TIMELINE

TOOLBAR. The Customize Toolbar dialog box appears.

2. From the CURRENT TOOLBAR BUTTONS list, select the button for which you want
the new button to be added before. For example, if you are adding the TRIM but-
ton and want it to appear before the CUT button, select the CUT button.

3. From the AVAILABLE TOOLBAR BUTTONS list, select the button you want to add
and click the ADD button. The new button is added to the toolbar.

NOTE A separator may also be added between groups of buttons to separate them into
logical groups. To add a separator, select SEPARATOR from the AVAILABLE TOOLBAR
BUTTONS list and click the ADD button.

Removing a button from the toolbar

From the CURRENT TOOLBAR BUTTONS list, select the button you want to remove and
click the REMOVE button (or double-click the button).

Rearranging buttons on the toolbar

From the CURRENT TOOLBAR BUTTONS list, select the button you want to move and click
the MOVE UP or MOVE DOWN button.

Customizing keyboard shortcuts

From the Options menu, choose CUSTOMIZE KEYBOARD to customize the keyboard short-
cuts available in the VEGAS Pro interface.

The KEYBOARD MAP box displays the currently assigned shortcut keys. Click a tab in the
middle of the dialog to choose which shortcuts you want to see.

Editing or creating new shortcuts

1. Click a tab in the middle of the dialog to indicate the type of command you want to
assign to a keyboard shortcut.

2. Select a command in the list.

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TIP You can type a word in the SHOW COMMANDS CONTAINING box to filter
the list of commands to displayonly commands that contain the word you
typed.

3. Click the SHORTCUT KEYS box and press the key combination you want to assign
to the selected command.

4. Click the ADD button to assign the key combination in the SHORTCUT KEYS box
to the selected command.

Saving a keyboard map

Click the SAVE AS button and type a name to save your current keyboard shortcuts to an
.ini file in the C:\USERS\<USERNAME>\APPDATA\ROAMING\VEGAS\VEGAS PRO\22 folder.

NOTE The AppData folder is not visible unless the SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND
FOLDERS radio button is selected on the View tab of the Windows Folder Options con-
trol panel.

You can use this file as a backup or to share your keyboard shortcuts with other VEGAS Pro
users.

Deleting a keyboard map

Choose a mapping from the KEYBOARD MAP drop-down list and click the DELETE button
to remove the selected keyboard mapping.

NOTE You cannot delete the default VEGAS Pro keyboard mapping.

Importing or renaming a keyboard map

Copy a VEGAS Pro keyboard mapping .ini file to the

C:\USERS\<USERNAME>\APPDATA\ROAMING\VEGAS\VEGAS PRO\22 folder.

NOTE The AppData folder is not visible unless the SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND
FOLDERS radio button is selected on the View tab of the Windows Folder Options con-
trol panel.

The next time you start VEGAS Pro, the new keyboard mapping will be available from the
KEYBOARD MAP drop-down list in the Customize Keyboard dialog.

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TIP If you want to edit a the name used to identify a keyboard mapping in the Cus-
tomize Keyboard dialog, open the .ini file in a text editor and change the <DISPLAY
NAME> portion of the Name=<Display Name> entry. Save the .ini file and restart
VEGAS Pro to use the new name.

Resetting the default keyboard map

Choose [DEFAULT] from the KEYBOARD MAP drop-down list and click OK to restore the
default configuration.

Time ruler
You can specify how the time ruler will be displayed (in time units).

TIP
To set the cursor position, click in the timeline or time ruler. The cursor moves to the
position you click, and the cursor position is displayed below the timeline.

Changing the format of the ruler

To change the ruler time format:

● Select the Ruler tab in the Project Properties window. Choose a format from the

RULER TIME FORMAT drop-down list. For more information, see Setting pro-
ject properties (p. 72)
● From the Options menu, choose RULER FORMAT and choose a format from the
submenu.

IMPORTANT When synchronizing audio to video, it is crucial that the SMPTE timecode
format used in the sequencer or digital audio workstation is the same as the SMPTE
timecode striped onto the video. This guarantees that the SMPTE times on the video
screen and computer monitor synchronize during playback.

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Format Description

Samples Displays the ruler in samples.

Time Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds.

Seconds Displays the ruler in seconds.

Time &
Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds.frames.
Frames

Absolute Displays the ruler with all frames numbered sequentially from the
Frames beginning of your project.

Displays the ruler in measures.beats.ticks, where 64 ticks = 1 beat.

Measures To set the tempo and number of beats per measure, use the Ruler tab
and Beats
in the Project Properties dialog. For more information, see Setting
project properties (p. 72)

Feet and
Frames
Displays the ruler in feet+frames at a rate of 40 frames per foot.
16mm (40
fpf)

Feet and
Frames
Displays the ruler in feet+frames at a rate of 16 frames per foot.
35mm (16
fpf)

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate

SMPTE of 23.976 frames per second. This frame rate matches the frame rate
Film Sync used when the inverse telecine process removes pulldown from pro-
IVTC gressive-scan 24 fps (24p video).
(23.976 This format will display running film time correctly if you will be trans-
fps) ferring your project to film. To see running project time, use SMPTE
Film Sync (24 fps) or SMPTE Drop (29.97 fps).

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Format Description

SMPTE Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate

Film Sync of 24 frames per second. This frame rate matches the standard crys-
(24 fps) tal-sync 16/33 mm film rate of 24 fps.

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate

SMPTE of 25 frames per second. This is known as SMPTE EBU (European
EBU (25 Broadcasting Union) because European television systems run at 25
fps, Video) fps.

Use SMPTE 25 EBU format for PAL DV/D1 projects.

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate

SMPTE of 29.97 frames per second, which leads to a discrepancy between
Non-Drop real ("wall clock") time and the SMPTE time, because there is no com-
(29.97 fps, pensation in the counting system as there is in Drop Frame.
Video) Use SMPTE Non-Drop format for NTSC D1 projects that will be recor-
ded on master tapes striped with Non-Drop timecode.

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds;frames with a frame rate

of 29.97 fps to match the frame rate used by NTSC television systems
(North America, Japan).

Use SMPTE Drop Frame format for NTSC DV/D1 projects.

SMPTE
Both SMPTE Drop and SMPTE Non-Drop run at 29.97 fps. In both
Drop
formats, the actual frames are not discarded, but they are numbered
(29.97 fps,
differently. SMPTE Drop removes certain frame numbers the counting
Video)
system to keep the SMPTE clock from drifting from real ("wall clock")
time. The time is adjusted forward by two frames on every minute
boundary except 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. For example, when SMPTE
Drop time increments from 00:00:59.29, the next value will be
00:01:00.02.

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Format Description

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate

SMPTE 30 of 30 frames per second.
(30 fps, This rate is exactly 30 fps and is commonly used when synchronizing
Audio) audio applications such as multitrack recorders or MIDI sequencers.
This format should not be used when working with video.

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate

Audio CD of 75 frames per second for creating Red Book CDs. For more
Time
information, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CD Burning (p.
1049)

Set Time at
Allows you to set the current time at the cursor position.
Cursor

Set Project
Allows you to set the tempo for the project.
Tempo

Creating a time ruler offset

A time ruler offset changes the ruler so it starts at a specific time. Typically, this feature is
used in conjunction with SMPTE and MIDI projects when their timelines are the main ref-
erence. An offset allows you to set the VEGAS Pro ruler based on another project's timeline
for reference purposes.

NOTE Since an audio CD must always begin at 00:00:00, you cannot create a time ruler
offset when the time ruler is set to the Audio CD Time format.

1. Right-click the time ruler and choose SET TIME AT CURSOR from the shortcut
menu. An edit box is displayed in the time ruler.

TIP To create a simple offset, click GO TO START to move the cursor to the
beginning of your project.

2. Type a time in the edit box and press Enter.

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The time ruler is shifted so the cursor position matches the time you specified. For
example, if the cursor is positioned at the 2:00 minute mark and you enter 15:00
minutes, the start of the project will be set to 13:00 minutes.

Grid spacing
From the Options menu, choose GRID SPACING and choose a command from the sub-
menu to specify the spacing of the vertical grid lines along the timeline.

You can use grid lines as snap points when SNAP TO GRID is enabled. For more inform-
ation, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

Saving and recalling window layouts

A window layout stores the sizes and positions of all windows and floating window docks
in the VEGAS Pro workspace.

You can store any number of window layouts on your computer, and up to ten window lay-
outs are available in the View menu (and via keyboard shortcuts) so you can quickly recall
frequently used layouts. For example, you could have a layout dedicated to multitrack
audio recording and another for ADR work.

TIP Window layouts are saved in the C:\USERS\USER

NAME\APPDATA\ROAMING\VEGAS\VEGAS PRO\22 folder. You can transfer layouts
between computers by copying the .VegasWindowLayout files.

IMPORTANT Window layouts saved in VEGAS Pro 22 cannot be loaded in previous ver-
sions of VEGAS Pro.

Saving a window layout

1. Arrange the windows and docked windows as desired.

For more information, see Window Docking Area and Floating Window Docks
(p. 19)

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TIP Press Ctrl+Alt+D, release the keys, and then press a number on your key-
board (not the numeric keypad) to save the layout in that space.

2. From the View menu, choose WINDOW LAYOUTS, and then choose SAVE LAYOUT
AS from the submenu. The Save Layout As dialog is displayed.
Choose SAVE LAYOUT from the submenu if you want to update the current win-
dow layout. A bullet ( ) is displayed next to the current layout.

3. In the NAME box, type the name you want to use to identify the layout. This name
will be used in the Organize Layouts dialog.

4. Choose a setting from the SHORTCUT drop-down list to set the shortcut that will
be used to load the layout.
For example, if you choose 4, you could press Alt+D, release the keys, and then
press 4 on your keyboard to load the layout.

5. The FOLDER box displays the path to the folder where the layout will be saved.
Window layouts are saved in the C:\USERS\USER
NAME\APPDATA\ROAMING\VEGAS\VEGAS PRO\22 folder. You can click the
BROWSE button to choose a different folder.

6. Click OK to save the new layout.

Loading a saved layout

From the View menu, choose WINDOW LAYOUTS, and then choose the window layout you
want to use from the submenu.

TIP To load a layout quickly, press Alt+D, release the keys, and then press a number on
your keyboard (not the numeric keypad) to recall the layout saved in that in that space.
If no layout is saved in that space, nothing will happen when you press the shortcut.

If you've modified the current window layout, choose WINDOW LAYOUTS, and then
choose RELOAD SELECTED LAYOUT from the submenu to reset the window layout to the
last-saved version.

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Adding a layout to the View | Window Layouts submenu

1. From the View menu, choose WINDOW LAYOUTS, and then choose ORGANIZE
LAYOUTS from the submenu. The Organize Layouts dialog is displayed.

2. Select a layout in the AVAILABLE LAYOUTS IN CURRENT FOLDER box.

This box lists the .VegasWindowLayout files in the folder displayed in the
CURRENT LAYOUT FOLDER box. If the layout you want to use is saved in a dif-
ferent folder, you can click the BROWSE button to choose a new folder.

3. Select a layout in the CURRENT LAYOUTS IN MENU box.

4. Click the ASSIGN (or REPLACE) button — or double-click a layout in the

AVAILABLE LAYOUTS IN CURRENT FOLDER box — to add the layout to the View |
Window Layouts submenu.
You can click the MOVE UP or MOVE DOWN buttons to change the order of the lay-
outs in the menu.

5. Click the ACTIVATE button — or double-click a layout in the CURRENT LAYOUTS

IN MENU box — to apply the selected layout to the VEGAS Pro workspace.

6. Click OK to close the Organize Layouts dialog and apply your changes.

Removing a layout from the View | Window Layouts submenu

1. From the View menu, choose WINDOW LAYOUTS, and then choose ORGANIZE
LAYOUTS from the submenu. The Organize Layouts dialog is displayed.

2. Select a layout in the CURRENT LAYOUTS IN MENU box.

3. Click the CLEAR button to remove the selected layout from the View | Window Lay-
outs submenu.
If you want to replace the selected layout, select a layout in the AVAILABLE
LAYOUTS IN CURRENT FOLDER box and click the REPLACE button.

4. Click OK to close the Organize Layouts dialog and apply your changes.

NOTE Removing a layout from the View | Window Layouts submenu does not remove
the .VegasWindowLayout file from your computer.

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Deleting a layout from your computer

1. From the View menu, choose WINDOW LAYOUTS, and then choose ORGANIZE
LAYOUTS from the submenu. The Organize Layouts dialog is displayed.

2. Select a layout in the AVAILABLE LAYOUTS IN CURRENT FOLDER box.

3. Click the DELETE LAYOUT button to remove the selected layout from your com-
puter.

NOTE You cannot delete a layout that is included in the CURRENT LAYOUTS
IN MENU list. First, select the layout in the CURRENT LAYOUTS IN MENU list
and click the CLEAR button. Next, select the layout in the AVAILABLE
LAYOUTS IN CURRENT FOLDER list and click the DELETELAYOUT button.

4. Click OK to close the Organize Layouts dialog and apply your changes.

Welcome Screen
When you start VEGAS Pro for the first time, the Welcome screen is shown. Three tabs give
you quick access to new-project setup, previous projects, and materials to help you use
VEGAS more effectively.

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» If you’ve already closed it, choose FILE | WELCOME SCREEN to open it.

Create a New Project

The default tab, the NEW PROJECT tab, includes several options for the aspect ratio of the
project you want to create.

1. Select the desired aspect ratio (e.g., Widescreen, Fullscreen).

The default uses the typical HD project aspect ratio Widescreen (16:9).

2. Choose the resolution (e.g., FullHD 1920x1080) from the Resolution dropdown.

3. Select the frame rate (e.g., 30p) from the Frame Rate dropdown.

4. Click CREATE PROJECT to start with the selected settings.

Additional configurations

If you need more control over your new project’s properties, click the ADVANCED
SETTINGS button. This opens the full NEW PROJECT dialog box (and closes the Welcome
screen) where you can specify all the fine details of your new project.

For more information, see Creating a new project (p. 72)

Open an Existing Project

In the OPEN PROJECT tab you see a list of your recent projects.

Open a recent project:

You can quickly access recent projects listed under OPEN A RECENT PROJECT.

» Click on the desired project from the list to open it.

Open existing project

If you don’t see the project you want to open in the Recent Projects list.

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1. Click the BROWSE button for an existing project file. This opens the Open dialog
box.

2. Select the file and click OPEN.

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Working with projects

A project (.veg) file saves the relevant information about your source media: file locations,
edits, insertion points, transitions, and effects.

A project file is not a multimedia file. It contains references to the original source files, so
you can edit your project non-destructively - you can be creative without worrying about
corrupting your source files.

Creating a new project

The first step in creating your masterpiece is to create a VEGAS® Pro project file.

TIP You can quickly create a project by clicking the NEW button on the toolbar or
pressing Ctrl+Shift+N. The project will use the default settings, but you can use the Pro-

ject Properties dialog to edit the settings later. For more information, see Setting
project properties (p. 72)

1. From the File menu, choose NEW. The New Project dialog is displayed.

2. Use the New Project dialog to set your project properties. For a detailed descrip-
tion of all the settings see below

TIP Set the START ALL NEW PROJECTS WITH THESE SETTINGS checkbox at
the bottom of each tab to make the actual settings default.

3. Click OK to create the project.

Setting project properties

Use the Project Properties dialog to control the default settings and store information
about the current project.

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From the FILE menu, choose PROPERTIES to display the dialog.

NOTE Select the ☐ START ALL NEW PROJECTS WITH THESE SETTINGS checkbox to
use the current settings whenever a new project is created.

Video
Use the Video tab to adjust the video format of your project. You can also click the

PROJECT VIDEO PROPERTIES button on the Video Preview window to display this
tab.

Item Description

Allows you to select a preset template to automatically configure

the controls in the dialog.

You may also manually change the settings and save them as a cus-
tom template for future use. To create a new template, enter a

Template name in the text box and click the SAVE TEMPLATE button .
The new custom template name is added to the drop-down list.

To set your project properties to match the properties of an exist-

ing media file, click the MATCH MEDIA SETTINGS button and
browse to the file you want to use.

Determines the frame size of your final movie when rendered. The
maximum frame size for AVI, MPEG, QuickTime, Windows Media,
Width and and still-image output is 2048x2048.
Height
NOTE The maximumframe size is 4096x4096.

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Item Description

Determines field order of the frames when drawn on the screen.

Consult your capture/video output card's documentation for the
proper field order for your specific device.
● NONE (PROGRESSIVE SCAN): Select this option when
viewing the video on a computer. This option ignores inter-
Field order lacing.
● UPPER FIELD FIRST: Select this option (also called odd or
field A) for video that will be viewed on a television.
● LOWER FIELD FIRST: Select this option (also called even
or field B) for DV output or if UPPER FIELD FIRST produces
jittery or shaky output.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to change the pixel

aspect ratio of your project. This setting will depend on your cap-
ture/video output card.

Pixel aspect Computers display pixels as squares, or a ratio of 1.0. Televisions

ratio display pixels as rectangles (ratios other than 1.0).

Using the incorrect setting can result in distortion or stretching.

Consult your capture/video output card's manual for the proper set-
tings.

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Item Description

Selecting HDR10 or HLG in the drop-down menu will turn on all of

the following settings:

1. Set Project Pixel format to "32-bit floating point (full

range)" in Project Properties Dialog

2. Set appropriate View Transform ("Rec 2020 ST2084 1000

nits (ACES)" for HDR10 and "Rec 2020 HLG 1000 nits
(ACES)" for HLG) in Project Properties Dialog

3. Enable "HDR Preview" in the PREFERENCES | PREVIEW

DEVICE dialog and the "HDR Preview" toolbar button
HDR Mode
above preview window, if suitable hardware is available.
This applies to both windowed and full-screen preview

4. Set the HDR COMPATIBLE OUTPUT filter in the RENDER

AS... dialog. The presets will be filtered based on HDR
mode.

5. Enable the MASTER DISPLAY Settings in Project Properties

dialog.

6. Selecting OFF will reset all of the settings to default project

settings.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to rotate your project's

output. Use output rotation to edit projects for display in portrait
(rather than landscape) or inverted orientation:

In this example, the video was shot with the camera tripod rotated
90 degrees. However, with the project output unrotated, the video
is pillarboxed within the standard landscape frame.

Output rota-
tion

After choosing 90 CLOCKWISE° from the OUTPUT ROTATION

drop-down list, the Video Preview window is rotated, and the video
fills the frame.

TIP If you want to rotate a media file's orientation, you can use
the ROTATION drop-down list on the Media Properties dialog.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to change the frame rate
of your project.

The television frame rate in the US, North and Central America,
Frame rate parts of South America, and Japan (NTSC) is 29.97 frames per
second (fps). In many parts of the world, including Europe and
much of Asia, the television standard is PAL at 25 fps. France, Rus-
sia, and most of Eastern Europe use SECAM, which is a variation on
PAL and also uses 25 fps.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate whether you

want to perform video processing (compositing, scaling, pre-
viewing, rendering, and most video plug-ins) using 8-bit or 32-bit,
floating-point arithmetic.
● LEGACY 8-BIT (VIDEO LEVELS): Performs video pro-
cessing using 8-bit arithmetic and in the video (studio RGB,
or 16-235) color space.
● 8-BIT (FULL RANGE): Performs video processing using 8-
bit arithmetic and in the full range (0-255) color space. In
this pixel format mode, standard video formats in limited
range are converted into full range RGB space by reading
color range information provided in the media files. If the
media file's color range is limited or undefined, then it is
automatically converted full range RGB. If the color range
Pixel format is full, no level conversion is performed when decoding into
RGB color space. This is the default pixel format for new
projects.
For more information, see 8-bit Pixel Format in Projects (p.
91).
● 32-BIT FLOATING POINT (VIDEO LEVELS): Performs video
processing using 32-bit arithmetic and in the video color
space.
● 32-BIT FLOATING POINT (FULL RANGE): Performs video
processing using 32-bit arithmetic and in the full-range
color space.
The 32-BIT FLOATING POINT settings allow greater pre-
cision for processing video, but require significantly more
processing power than working with 8-bit video.

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Item Description

TIP
● 32-bit floating point (video levels) is recommended
when working with 10-bit YUV input/output or when
using xvYCC/x.v.Color media.
● When using 8-bit input/output, the 32-BIT FLOATING
POINT (VIDEO LEVELS) setting can prevent banding
from compositing that contains fades, feathered edges,
or gradients.
● Video plug-ins and media generators that support float-
ing-point processing are included in the 32-BIT
FLOATING POINT folder in the , , , , and windows.
● If you're creating a 32-bit project, you can increase per-
formance during editing and playback by using the 8-
BIT setting during editing and switching to 32-BIT
FLOATING POINT (VIDEO LEVELS) before rendering.
● When working in 8-BIT (FULL RANGE) project mode,
most of the reader plugins support the color range over-
ride option. To override the color range of a media file,
right-click an event in the timeline and choose Prop-
erties from the context menu. In the PROPERTIES dia-
log, click the MEDIA tab. Choose the option you want
from the Color Range drop-down list. Color range
information will be persisted with projects.

When you choose 32-BIT FLOATING POINT (FULL RANGE) from

the PIXEL FORMAT drop-down list, you can choose a compositing
gamma value.

Compositing ● 1.000 (LINEAR): The default setting when you choose 32-
gamma BIT FLOATING POINT (FULL RANGE) from the PIXEL
FORMAT drop-down list.
● 2.222 (VIDEO): Processing in 8-bit video is always per-
formed using a setting of 2.222.

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Item Description

ACES Version
/ ACES color Choose ACES version and Color space. For more information,
space see S-Log and ACES workflow (p. 862)

View trans- Choose the reference view transform to use for the project.
form For more information, see Enabling color management in your
VEGAS Pro project (p. 869)

Look modification transform (LMT) is helpful feature when working

with 32 bit full range or in HDR project. LMT has two options:

NONE - This is default option.

Look modi- APPLY BLUE LIGHT ARTIFACT FIX - Use this LMT for desaturating
fication trans- blue hues to reduce the artifact caused by bright blue colors (e.g.
form sirens, headlights, LED lighting, etc.) In 32 bit full range project or
in HDR mode, you can choose "Apply Blue Light Artifact Fix", if the
video preview shows any blue light artifact due to clipping caused
by bright blue colors. In an 8 bit project or 32 bit Video level project
or when view transform is off, LMT will be disabled.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the quality of the
rendered video.

Unless you have specific performance problems, choose GOOD.

Choosing BEST can dramatically increase rendering times.

GOOD uses bilinear scaling without integration, while BEST uses

bicubic scaling with integration. If you're using high-resolution stills
Full-resolution (or video) that will be scaled down to the final output size, choos-
rendering ing BEST can prevent artifacts.
quality
TIP Some file formats allow you to associate a video rendering
quality setting with a custom rendering template. Final ren-
dering template settings override the FULL-RESOLUTION
RENDERING QUALITY setting in the Project Properties dialog.

For more information, see Custom rendering templates (p.

1044)

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose the curve that
is used to blur frames when you add a motion blur envelope to the

video bus track. For more information, see Video bus track (p.
410)

Motion blurring creates the illusion of motion on individual frames

(much like using a long exposure time) and can make computer-
generated animation appear more smooth and natural.
● GAUSSIAN: Gives more weight to the central frame in the
blur and less weight to the outer frames. A bell-shaped
Motion blur curve is used between the central and outer frames. Gaus-
type sian blur is the best choice in most situations where blur-
ring is required.
● PYRAMID: Gives more weight to the central frame in the
blur and the least weight to the outer frames. A linear slope
is used between the central and outer frames.
● BOX: Uses an equal weighting for all frames, essentially
averaging the frames in the blur.

The GAUSSIAN (ASYMMETRIC), PYRAMID (ASYMMETRIC), and

BOX (ASYMMETRIC) settings use only the left half of each curve,
from the central frame back. Asymmetric settings create a hard
leading edge with a trailing blur behind the moving object.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from this drop-down list to determine the method

used to render effects and deinterlace the two fields that make up
a frame.
● NONE: Performs no deinterlacing.

● BLEND FIELDS: Uses contents from both fields and works

well for high-detail, low-motion video.
● INTERPOLATE: Uses a single field at a time and works well
for high-motion, low-detail video.
Deinterlace
method ● SMART ADAPTIVE (GPU ONLY): An advanced deinterlacing
method that you can use when upscaling video for 4K/Ultra
HD output.
This setting is for use with interlaced clips up to
2048x1080.

TIP No deinterlacing occurs in the DRAFT and PREVIEW video

preview modes. The GOOD and BEST modes apply the selected
deinterlacing method.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to determine how video

frames will be resampled when the frame rate of a media file is
lower than the project’s frame rate. This can occur either when the
event has a velocity envelope or when the frame rate of the original
media is different than the FRAME RATE setting on the Video tab
of the Project Properties dialog.

With resampling, the intervening frames are interpolated from the

source frames, much like a crossfade effect between the original
frames. This may solve some interlacing problems and other jittery
output problems.

You have three options to set the default resampling option as a

project property:

Analyzes the existing frames before and

after the new one and blends them to create
Resample new frames as needed
mode Frame blend
NOTE The Frame blend option is the
same resampling mode as the Force res-
ampling option of previous versions.

Uses optical flow technology to create new

Optical Flow
frames as needed

Performs no resampling
Disable res-
ampling NOTE New projects use Disable res-
ampling by default

TIP You can override the project RESAMPLE MODE setting for

each event using the event switches. For more information,

see Applying switches to events (p. 359)

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Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want VEGAS Pro to scale images or

adjust interlacing to allow media files to work better with your pro-
ject.

This setting will correct for the following types of inconsistencies:

● DV media will be cropped for 320x240 Internet renders to
Adjust source
prevent letterboxing.
media to bet-
ter match pro- ● DV widescreen media will be cropped in HD projects.
ject or render ● HD media will be cropped in DV widescreen projects.
settings
● 486-line media will be cropped in 480-line projects.

● 480-line media will be padded in 486-line projects.

When the checkbox is cleared, source media files are processed

with their native settings.

Prerendered video files are saved to this folder so that you don't

need to rerender the project every time you view it. For more
information, see Selectively prerender video (p. 208)

If you want to change the location of the folder, click the BROWSE
Prerendered button and choose a location. Ideally, this location should be on a
files folder different hard drive than the one where your operating system is
installed.

IMPORTANT Prerendered files can consume significant drive

space. Select a folder on an a/v-capable drive with ample free
space: DV requires approximately 228 MB per minute.

Free storage
space in selec- Displays the total amount of available space on the selected drive.
ted folder

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Audio
Use the Audio tab to change the data format of the current project.

Item Description

Choose STEREO from the drop-down list to create a two-channel ste-

reo project.
Master bus
mode Choose 5.1 SURROUND if you want to perform advanced 5.1-channel

mixing. For more information, see 5.1 surround projects (p. 892)

Number of
stereo Enter the number of stereo busses for the project. For more
busses information, see Adding audio busses (p. 932)

Choose a sample rate from the drop-down list or enter a value in the
Sample rate
edit box.

Select a setting from the drop-down list to specify the number of bits
Bit depth used to store each sample. Higher values will increase the quality of
playback and any recordings that you make.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to determine the accuracy

with which audio files will be resampled to match your project set-
Resample tings.
and stretch The RESAMPLE AND STRETCH QUALITY setting also determines the
quality
quality of processing when time-stretching audio events. For
more information, see Editing event properties (p. 370)

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Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to apply a low-pass filter to each

track in a 5.1 surround project that is assigned to the LFE channel.

For more information, see 5.1 surround panning and mixing (p.
896)

Applying a low-pass filter approximates the bass-management sys-

Enable low-
tem in a 5.1 decoder and ensures that you're sending only low-fre-
pass filter
quency audio to the LFE channel.
on LFE
IMPORTANT Before rendering your surround project, check your
surround authoring application's documentation to determine its
required audio format. Some encoders require a specific cutoff fre-
quency and rolloff, and your encoder may require that no filter be
applied before encoding.

Cutoff fre-
Choose a frequency from the drop-down list or type a frequency in
quency for
the box to set the frequency above which audio will be ignored by the
low-pass fil-
LFE channel.
ter

Low-pass Choose a setting from the drop-down list to determine the sharpness
filter quality of filter's rolloff curve. BEST produces the sharpest curve.

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Item Description

When you record audio tracks, your recorded files are saved in a
single folder.

If you want to change the location of the folder, click the BROWSE
button and choose a location. Ideally, this location should be on a dif-
ferent hard drive than the one where your operating system is
installed.
Recorded
files folder TIP If you have not specified a location, you will be prompted for
the location where you want to save your recorded audio when
you click the ARM FOR RECORD button in the track header:

Free stor-
age space
Displays the total amount of available space on the selected drive.
in selected
folder

Ruler
Use the Ruler tab to change the format used to display the timeline ruler. VEGAS Pro also
sends tempo information to tempo-aware audio plug-ins.

Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose how you want the
Ruler time Time Ruler to be displayed. You can change the format at any time
format after project creation.

For more information about each time format, see Time ruler (p. 62)

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Item Description

Enter the desired starting time for the project.

Ruler start
time For example, the ruler can be offset to start at 1 hour for timecode syn-
chronization purposes.

Enter your project tempo in Beats Per Minute.

This tempo is used to determine the scale of the ruler (if you choose
MEASURES & BEATS from the RULER TIME FORMAT drop-down list)
and to specify the tempo used by the metronome.
Beats per
minute Select the IMPORT AT PROJECT TEMPO checkbox on the Audio tab of
the Preferences dialog if you want ACID loops to be stretched to match
the project tempo when you add them to the timeline or preview from
the Explorer window. Clear the IMPORT AT PROJECT TEMPO check-
box if you want to ignore tempo information.

Specify the number of beats in each measure.

Beats per This tempo is used to determine the scale of the ruler (if you choose
measure MEASURES & BEATS from the RULER TIME FORMAT drop-down list)
and to specify the tempo used by the metronome.

Specify the note that receives one beat. For example, if this value is
Note that four, then a quarter note gets one beat.
gets one This tempo is used to determine the scale of the ruler (if you choose
beat MEASURES & BEATS from the RULER TIME FORMAT drop-down list)
and to specify the tempo used by the metronome.

Summary

Item Description

Title Enter a title for the project.

Artist Enter the name of the artist.

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Item Description

Engineer Enter the name of the person who mixed or edited the project.

Copyright Enter copyright information for the project.

Comments Enter any comments you want to associate with the project.

Audio CD

Use the Audio CD tab to configure options for burning disc-at-once CDs. For more
information, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CD Burning (p. 1049)

Item Description

Universal Product Codes (UPC) or Media Catalog Numbers (MCN) can

Universal be written to a CD as a means of identification. However, not all CD-R
Product drives support this feature. Check your CD-R drive documentation to
Code/ determine if your drive will write these codes.

Media Enter the code in this box, and the codes will be written to the CD
Catalog along with the rest of the project.
Number Universal product codes are administered by GS1 US: http://www.g-
s1us.org/.

Enter a number in the box or to specify the track number of the first
track.
First track
number on NOTE Specifying a value other than one will produce a valid Red
disc Book CD, but some audio CD players may be unable to play the
disc.

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Advanced

Item Description

Master Display Choose the characteristics of your master display device.

Specify your project as a 360 project and activate 360 controls.

360 Output
For more information, see Preparing a project for 360° movies
(p. 873)

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to create a stereoscopic

3D project, or choose OFF to create a 2D project.

By default, the project's STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE, SWAP

LEFT/RIGHT, and crosstalk cancellation settings will also be used
Stereoscopic
when previewing and rendering your project, but you can override
3D mode
the project settings if necessary.

For more information, see Setting up your stereoscopic 3D

project (p. 445)

8-bit Pixel Format in Projects

VEGAS Pro supports two modes for 8-bit projects:

8-bit (video level)

This mode is the same as the 8-bit mode in VEGAS Pro and previous versions. In this mode,
VEGAS Pro decodes many common video formats like AVC, MPEG2, HEVC files to studio
RGB levels (video levels) regardless of whether they are full range files or not, which could
cause information to be lost in deep blacks and bright whites. This mode ignores the color
range metadata information available in many files and does not perform any automatic
level conversion when converting Y'CbCr format to RGB space. RGB video files and still
images are decoded into full range RGB levels.

8-bit (full range)

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In this project mode, standard video formats in limited range are converted into full range
RGB space by reading color range information provided in the media files. If the media files
color range is limited or undefined, then they are automatically converted full range RGB. If
the color range is full, no level conversion is performed when decoding into RGB color
space. Also note that, no level conversion is performed, when reading RGB format media or
still images and media generators since their outputs are generally full range.

In this project mode, all the media in the timeline will be in full range and match the video
preview behavior. This removes the need to apply a studio RGB to computer RGB effect in
order to adjust the preview. It also eliminates the need to enable the ADJUST LEVELS
FROM STUDIO RGB TO COMPUTER RGB option in external monitor preview settings. So, if
the color range is “limited” or “Undefined” in Y’CbCr format, 16-236 and 16-255 color
ranges will be converted to 0-255 RGB.

In VEGAS Pro, most of the reader plugins support the color range override option. To over-
ride the color range of a media file, right-click an event in the timeline and choose Prop-
erties from the context menu. In the PROPERTIES dialog, click the MEDIA tab. Choose the
option you want from the Color Range drop-down list. Color range information will be per-
sisted with projects.

NOTE The color range override option is applicable only when you've set your project
properties to full range mode. Currently color range override is not supported in some
reader plug-ins like MVC and WMV, or in still-image readers.

Opening a project or media file

From the File menu, choose OPEN to open a media file or VEGAS Pro project.

NOTE
You can open multiple VEGAS Pro projects by launching another instance of the applic-
ation (if your computer has enough resources).
● Opening a project closes the current project and displays the opened project
in the VEGAS Pro window.
● Opening a media file will place the event that contains the media onto a new
track in the current project.

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Opening a VEGAS Pro project

1. From the File menu, choose OPEN. The Open dialog box is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where the project you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select a file in the browse window or type a name in the FILE NAME box. Detailed
information about the selected file appears at the bottom of the dialog box.

TIP
● To limit the files displayed in the dialog, choose a file type from the FILES
OF TYPE drop-down list or enter *. and an extension in the FILE NAME
box. For example, enter *.wav to display all wave files in the current
folder, or enter *guitar*.wav to display all wave files that have the word
guitar in the file name.
● To open a project quickly, double-click a .veg file in the Explorer window.

4. Click OPEN. If you have not saved the current project, you will be prompted to
save your changes.

Nesting Projects
Nesting allows you to add a VEGAS Pro project to the timeline of another project. Nesting

can help you organize a timeline or create other effects. For more information, see
Nesting projects (p. 99)

TIP Use nested projects to organize a project that uses extensive compositing.

Perform either of the following actions to nest a VEGAS Pro project within the current pro-
ject:

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● Drag a VEGAS Pro project from the Explorer window (or Windows Explorer) to the
timeline.
● From the File menu, choose IMPORT, then choose MEDIA from the submenu, and
then browse to the project you want to use.

The file is added to the Project Media window and an event is created where you drop the
project in the timeline or at the cursor position before you opened the Import Media dialog.

Opening a media file

1. From the File menu, choose OPEN. The Open dialog box is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where the file you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select a file in the browse window or type a name in the FILE NAME box. Detailed
information about the selected file appears at the bottom of the dialog box.

TIP To limit the files displayed in the dialog, choose a file type from the FILES
OF TYPE drop-down list or enter *. and an extension in the FILE NAME box. For
example, enter *.wav to display all wave files in the current folder, or enter
*guitar*.wav to display all wave files that have the word guitar in the file name.

NOTE If you want to use RAW camera files in your project, the Microsoft Cam-
era Codec Pack will allow you to view RAW camera files and add them to the
timeline.

4. Click OPEN.

5. The file is added to the Project Media window and an event is created. The event
is created at the cursor position in the selected track, or a new track will be cre-
ated if no tracks of the appropriate type exist. For example, if your current project
contains three audio tracks when you open an AVI file, a video track will be cre-
ated for the AVI.

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Opening a still-image sequence

If you've exported a video clip as a still-image sequence using another application (a 3D-
rendering application, for example), you can add the sequence to the VEGAS Pro timeline
as a single event.

1. From the File menu, choose OPEN. The Open dialog box is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where the sequence you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select the first image in the sequence (or the image you want to use to start the
event). Detailed information about the selected file appears at the bottom of the
dialog box.

4. Select the OPEN SEQUENCE check box.

5. In the LAST IMAGE box, type the number of the last image you want to open. For
example, if you'd selected AnimationOne_00001.tga in step 3, you could type 120
in this box to create a new event using AnimationOne_00001.tga to Anim-
ationOne_00120.tga.

6. Click OPEN to display the Media Properties dialog, where you can view or edit

information about the sequence. For more information, see Viewing or chan-
ging media file properties (p. 162)

7. Click OK. A new event is created at the cursor position in the selected track (a
new track will be added if no track is selected). Each image in the sequence will be
displayed for one frame.

Opening a CD Architect version 4 project

If you have existing CD Architect version 4 projects, you can use VEGAS Pro to open your
project files and create Red Book CDs.

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1. From the File menu, choose OPEN. The Open dialog box is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where your CD Architect project file (.cdp) is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select a project file in the browse window or type a name in the FILE NAME box.

4. Click OPEN. If you have not saved the current project, you will be prompted to
save your changes.
For more information about creating Red Book CDs, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red
Book) CD Burning (p. 1049)

Creating rotated projects

The use of rotated displays — monitors that display vertical media — has become increas-
ingly popular: you can see them in kiosks, presentations, and even on the nightly news. If
you have a project that you'd like to display in a rotated format, VEGAS Pro makes it easy.

1. Create a new project.

2. Set your project properties as needed, and then choose a setting from the
OUTPUT ROTATION drop-down list to indicate the orientation of your destination
display device. If you want to display your project in portrait (tall) mode, choose
90° CLOCKWISE or 90° COUNTERCLOCKWISE.

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

In this example, the video was shot with the camera tripod rotated 90 degrees.
However, because neither the project or the media has been rotated, the video is
displayed sideways within the standard landscape frame.

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After choosing 90° CLOCKWISE from the OUTPUT ROTATION drop-down list, the
Video Preview window is rotated. Because the media hasn't been rotated yet, it
doesn't match the project orientation and is letterboxed within the frame.

3. Add your media files to your project.

For more information, see Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

4. Edit the properties for each of your media files to set its rotation as needed:

a. Right-click a media file in the Project Media window and choose

PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu. The Media Properties dialog is dis-
played.

b. Choose a setting from the ROTATION drop-down list to indicate the dir-
ection you want to rotate your media.

After choosing 90° CLOCKWISE from the ROTATION drop-down list, the
media is rotated, and the video fills the frame.

c. Click OK to close the Media Properties dialog and save your changes.

TIP To rotate multiple files quickly, select them in the Project Media win-
dow, right-click a selected file, and then choose ROTATE 90°
CLOCKWISE or ROTATE 90° COUNTERCLOCKWISE from the shortcut
menu.

5. Drag your clips from the Project Media window to the timeline to create events.

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6. Edit your project as needed.

For more information, see Editing events on the timeline (p. 238)

7. Render your project to any supported rendering format.

In the Render As dialog, click the RENDER OPTIONS button and select the USE
PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you want to use the OUTPUT
ROTATION setting from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered file. When
the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media Properties
setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use this setting to proof your
project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

TIP To render a portrait-oriented file for viewing on a computer without a

rotated display, you can create a rendering template that matches the pro-

portions of your project. For more information, see Custom rendering tem-
plates (p. 1044)

a. Right-click the Video Preview window and ensure SIMULATE DEVICE

ASPECT RATIO is selected.

b. Next, adjust the size of the Video Preview window to match the frame size
you'd like to render and note the DISPLAY dimensions in the lower-right
corner of the Video Preview window.

c. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS, choose the desired rendering
format from the FORMATS box list, and then choose a rendering template
that's close to the frame size you noted in step b. Windows Media Video is a
good choice.

d. Click the CUSTOM button, and then use the Video tab in the Custom Tem-
plate dialog to adjust the frame size to match the dimensions you noted in
step 7b.

e. Save your template for later use.

f. Clear the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox and render
your file.

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Nesting projects
Nesting allows you to add a VEGAS Pro project to the timeline of another project. Nesting
can help you organize a timeline or create other effects:
● Create a single element — such as a lower-third graphic or watermark — that you
can use in multiple timeline locations or projects.
● Create a complex composited element that you can use as a single media object

in the timeline. For more information, see Compositing video (p. 793)
● Create a transition across multiple events by placing the events in a nested pro-
ject and applying a transition to the nested project event.
● Create a musical composition with its own tempo and FX bus structure that you
can use in another project.
● Create a separate project for each scene in a video and nest those projects in a
master video project. You can apply color correction to each shot within the scene
and then apply color correction to the entire scene in the master project.
● Use master projects to deliver a single project in multiple formats without time-
and disk-consuming intermediate renders: for example, you could add your 24p,
16:9 HD (high-definition) project to a master project to reformat the project as
widescreen SD (standard definition) for DVD, letterboxed SD for VHS, 4:3 pan-
and-scan SD, or 25p.

Perform either of the following actions to nest a VEGAS Pro project within the current pro-
ject:
● Drag a VEGAS Pro project from the Explorer window (or Windows Explorer) to the
timeline.
● From the File menu, choose IMPORT, then choose MEDIA from the submenu, and
then browse to the project you want to use.

The file is added to the Project Media window and an event is created where you drop the
project in the timeline (or at the cursor position if import or use the Explorer to open a pro-
ject file).

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You can edit the nested project's events just like any other event on the timeline: trim,
shuffle, stretch, crop, or apply event switches.

For more information, see Editing events on the timeline (p. 238)

NOTE
● The output from the nested project's master bus is used to create the audio
event. If you nest a 5.1 surround project, the audio event will be a stereo down-

mix of the surround master bus. For more information, see 5.1 surround
projects (p. 892)

●
Audio events from nested projects cannot be edited in a sound editor. For
more information, see Opening events in an audio editor (p. 367)
● The audio from a nested project will require that a proxy file be built. To avoid
building proxy files, delete audio from nested projects and use the master pro-
ject to create your audio.
From the Tools menu, choose REBUILD OFFLINE NESTED AUDIO to rerender
any offline audio proxy files in your project. Audio proxy files can be offline if
you cancel rendering when adding a nested project.
● Markers and regions in the nested project are displayed in the timeline as

media markers in the event. For more information, see Using media mark-
ers and regions (p. 271)
● Prerendered video from a project will be used when that project is nested in
another project's timeline.
● You can edit a nested project by right-clicking the event in the timeline and
choosing EDIT SOURCE PROJECT from the shortcut menu. A new VEGAS Pro

window will open to allow you to edit the project. For more information,
see Project references in rendered files (p. 109)

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Nested Timelines
You may have a section of a timeline edited and then decide that you'd like that section to
be treated as just one event (or, more precisely, one audio and one video event that are
grouped together) rather than multiple components. Then you can create a NESTED
TIMELINE.

Nested Timelines leverage the existing nested projects capabilities. Nested timelines are
technically just nested projects, but with a big improvement: To edit it, you don't have to
open it in a separate instance of VEGAS Pro, you can switch back and forth between the
nested project and the parent project all in one instance.

When you create a nested timeline, you are actually creating another project. That project
can be treated as a nest, or worked on individually and the parent project updates auto-
matically.

To create a new nested timeline:

1. Select one or more sequential events from one or more tracks and click the

CREATE NESTED TIMELINE button from the Transport and Editing toolbar.

NOTE If haven't already saved your (parent) project, you will be prompted to
save it now.

2. You will be prompted to save the nested timeline, too.

NOTE Note that the proposed name is the name of the parent project + under-
score + "Untitled Timeline" rather than "Untitled" for easy identification.

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3. Creating the nested timeline navigates you into the new timeline that contains the
previously selected events only.

4. You could do further editing in this timeline now, it will behave exactly like the par-
ent timeline. But since the very purpose of the action was to use the arrangement
of these events as a whole, you will want to return to the parent project now.
To navigate back to a nested timeline's parent timeline, click the OPEN PARENT

TIMELINE button from the Transport and Editing toolbar.

5. Back in the parent timeline, the nested timeline will appear on the parent timeline
as a grouped audio and video event pair that replace the original events that were
used to create the nested timeline.

The nested timeline event length will initially be of the length of the nested
timeline when it was created.

6. The nested timeline is an event like any other event in the timeline and can be
edited, moved, duplicated and so on.

7. To open the nested timeline again to change something inside the nested timeline

click the OPEN NESTED TIMELINE button from the Transport and Editing tool-
bar (or choose the command from the nested timeline event's context menu).

Opening a recent project

A list of recently used project files is maintained at the bottom of the File menu. Choosing a
project from this list allows you to quickly return to work on that project.

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You can use the General tab in the Preferences dialog to turn the recently used file list on

or off and to specify how many files should be displayed. For more information, see
General Tab (p. 1109)

Saving a project
From the File menu, choose SAVE to save changes to the current VEGAS Pro project (.veg).
When a VEGAS Pro project is saved, all of the layout of tracks, envelope adjustments,
effects parameters, etc. are saved in this project file.

The first time you save a project, the Save As dialog is displayed.

NOTE If you want to keep the previous version of your project before you made
changes, use the SAVE AS command to save the new version of the project with a new

name. For more information, see Saving and renaming a project (Save As) (p. 108)

Saving a new version of the project (Incremental Save)

To keep older work states of your project, you normally use the SAVE AS function. You
save your current project under a new project file name (e.g. <project name>_001) and con-
tinue to work with this project. The old work state remains available in the original project.

The File menu | INCREMENTAL SAVE command automates this process so that you do not
have to set a name for the new file version each time. Save your project once under the
desired project name (e.g. "myproject..veg"). If you now call the INCREMENTAL SAVE func-
tion, the current project is saved under the name myproject_0001, next time as myproject_
0002 and so on. The appended number is incremented, so this function is also called Incre-
mental Save.

TIP The default keyboard shortcut for Incremental Save is Ctrl+ Alt + S. There is also a
toolbar button available, but it is not visible by default. You can add it by customizing
your toolbar.

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Advanced Save - Live Save & Automatic Backups

The advanced auto save feature allows you to have flexibility for saving and backing up
your projects.

» Choose TOOLS | ADVANCED SAVE to open the VEGAS ADVANCED SAVE UTILITY dia-
log.

Live Save

The Live Save function protects you in the event of an unexpected shutdown of the applic-
ation and ensures that you will not lose any work beyond the specific edit you were work-
ing on at the time of the shutdown. It is disabled by default.

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NOTE
If LIVE SAVE is enabled, you will be unable to use the REAL-TIME BACKUPS feature.

A project must be saved once before the LIVE SAVE will start to work!

After saving the project initially, LIVE SAVE will automatically save any changes you
make to the project without requiring any interaction from you. The project title will not
display an asterisk (*) indicating unsaved changes.

If you prefer to manually save your edits, you can disable LIVE SAVE.

Creating timed project backups

Checking USE ADVANCED BACKUP will give you a number of options for automatically
backing up your project.

NOTE The creation of automatic backups begins when a change is made to the project.

● If USE ADVANCED BACKUP is off, VEGAS Pro will use the legacy AUTOSAVE func-
tion.
● BACKUP INTERVAL (MINUTES): This saves a backup every time the specified time
has elapsed if the project has been edited. Backups with this option are only
stored within the last hour. Any older backups will be deleted. That means, when
you keep the default time of 10 minutes, the last 6 backup files are held, when you
reduce the time span to 6 minutes, you'll end up with 10 backup files.
● BACKUP INTERVAL (HOURS): This will create a backup after the specified number
of hours if the project has been edited. Backups created with this option are only
stored within the last 10 hours. Any older backups will be deleted.
● ARCHIVE DAILY BACKUPS: This option will create a backup once a day or upon
the close of the application. You can set how many of these backups are stored
on the computer (up to 500). The oldest backup is deleted when the limit is
reached.

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NOTE Note that these three options can all be combined: The idea is that you
keep some (minor) backups for the most recent changes (in the last hour), but
also at least one (major) backup for every hour later and, if required, a backup
a day.

● ARCHIVE REAL-TIME BACKUPS: Activate this option to create a backup for each
edit. You can set how many of these backups are stored on the computer (up to
500). The oldest backup is deleted when the limit is reached.

NOTE When REALTIME BACKUPS are enabled, the minutely, hourly and daily
backups are not available.

IMPORTANT Realtime backups will remarkably slow down your computer's per-
formance!

You can set the location for the backups under SAVE LOCATION (This does not apply to
LIVE SAVE.)

● TEMPORARY FILES FOLDER will store the files in the temporary files location

that is set in preferences.

● USE CURRENT PROJECT FOLDER will store the files where the current project

has been saved at.

● SELECT FOLDER will allow you to select a specific location where the backup files

will be stored (using the BROWSE... button and edit box)

NOTE The four different backup types: minutely, hourly, daily and real-time are stored
in separate sub-folders in this location

Restoring backups

To restore a backup, press the RESTORE button. This will open the RESTORE BACKUP
dialog window which contains a list of the backups on the system.

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To filter the list to show only the backups for the current project that you are working in,
press CURRENT PROJECT ONLY.

To restore a backup, select it from the list and press RESTORE SELECTED.

The current project is closed and the backup project is opened in the current instance of
VEGAS Pro. If you want to open the backup project in a new instance of VEGAS Pro check
OPEN IN NEW INSTANCE OF VEGAS.

To delete a single backup file, select it and press DELETE SELECTED.

Deleting backups

To delete all backups, press CLEAR ALL BACKUPS.

To delete only the backups from the current project, press CLEAR CURRENT PROJECT
BACKUPS.

To delete a specific backup, you have to go to the RESTORE BACKUPS dialog window
(look above)

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Saving and renaming a project (Save As)

From the File menu, choose SAVE AS to save the current project to a different location or
with a new name.

1. From the File menu, choose SAVE AS.

2. Select the drive and folder where you want to store the project.

3. Type a name in the FILE NAME box.

4. Select the COPY MEDIA WITH PROJECT checkbox if you want to create copies of
each of the project's media files in the same location as the project file. This
allows you to collect all of a project's assets in a single location.

5. Click the SAVE button.

6. If you selected the COPY MEDIA WITH PROJECT check box, a dialog is displayed
to allow you to specify how you want to copy media files:
● Select the COPY SOURCE MEDIA radio button to copy the entire source
media files to your project folder.
Any project media files from folders outside the project folder are copied to
the project folder. Media files that are saved in folders below the project
folder are not copied.
● Select the CREATE TRIMMED COPIES OF SOURCE MEDIA radio button and
enter a value in the EXTRA HEAD AND TAIL box to reduce the number and
size of media files necessary to represent your project.
Your project will be scanned to determine how much of each media file is
being used and those regions will be rendered to new media files. The
amount of time specified in the EXTRA HEAD AND TAIL setting will be added
before and after the media file to allow subsequent edits. All events are then
updated to point to the new files. Finally, inactive takes are removed from
the project, and the project is saved.

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NOTE
The newly rendered files will match the source files' properties as closely as
possible:
● Audio/video events are saved in a new AVI file. You can trim DV AVI,
uncompressed AVI, and YUV AVI files. Because of the lossy nature of
other video formats, those video files will not be trimmed, but will simply
be copied to the project folder.
● Audio-only events will be rendered to the Wave format if under 2 GB (or
Wave64 if over 2 GB), and DV files will be rendered as DV AVI files.

Project references in rendered files

When your VEGAS Pro project uses media that was rendered with an embedded project
path reference, you can easily open the source project in the associated application if you
need to edit the media later. ACID 5.0, Sound Forge 8.0, and VEGAS Pro 6.0 and later allow
you to save the project path reference when you render files.

For example, imagine that you have an audio file on the VEGAS Pro timeline that was
rendered from an ACID project. In previewing your VEGAS Pro project, you discover that
you'd accidentally rendered your ACID project with a critical track muted. You could simply
right-click the event on the VEGAS Pro timeline and choose EDIT SOURCE PROJECT from
the shortcut menu to reopen your ACID project, unmute the track, and then rerender it.

NOTE The project information in the rendered file is a reference to a project file only. If
you modify the project file after rendering, the project data will no longer match the
rendered file. To edit a project using a path reference, the project file and all media
must be available on your computer.

Saving the project path in the rendered file

1. Save your VEGAS Pro project. The project must be saved before you can embed
the project reference in the rendered file.

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2. Perform the procedure described in the Rendering Projects topic to choose the
file type and location for rendering your files, and select the SAVE PROJECT AS
PATH REFERENCE IN RENDERED MEDIA check box.

For more information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

NOTE The checkbox will be unavailable if you haven't saved your project or if
you're rendering using a third-party file-format plug-in.

Editing a referenced project

1. Perform one of the following actions:
● Right-click a media file in the Explorer window.

● Right-click a media file in the Project Media window.

● Right-click an event on the timeline.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose EDIT SOURCE PROJECT. An ACID, VEGAS Pro,
or SOUND FORGE window will open with the source project.

NOTE To edit a source project using a computer other than the computer
where the project was created, the editing computer must meet the following
requirements:

● The software that was used to create the project must be installed and the
project file extension (.acd, .acd-zip, .veg, .vf, or .frg) must be registered on
the editing computer.
● The editing computer must have the same version (or later) of the software
that was used to create the project.
● The project file must exist on the editing computer using the same file path
as on the computer where the project was created.
● The project's source media must exist on the editing computer. If the media
files do not use the same file path as on the computer where the project was
created, you will be prompted to choose a new folder or replacement files.

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3. Edit the project as necessary.

4. Render the edited project using the same name as the original media file and close
the editing application.
If you're editing an existing track, your project will automatically be updated to
use the latest rendered media file.

Creating Project Notes

Project Notes allow VEGAS Pro editors to leave themselves notes in a project or to col-
laborate on a project and leave notes for each other along the way.

Each note has a specific timeline timecode, so you can use them to leave comments in
exact points in your project. You, can categorize them by colors and custom labels, and the
system can keep track of which notes have been addressed and which still need attention.

To use Project Notes, click the PROJECT NOTES tab if necessary to make the window vis-
ible.

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Default Click the Note Default Color button and choose the color from
Color the list that you would like all of your new notes to take on.

Click inside the Enter default label text field and type any label
Default label
you would like all new notes to take on.

Click the Add New Note button to create a note with these
Add new default settings.
note This note contains the timecode that corresponds to your cur-
rent cursor location in the timeline.

Update
To change the timecode, click in the timeline to place your
Timecode to
cursor at the new location and click the Update Timecode to
Timeline
Timeline Cursor button.
Cursor

Jump to To instantly move your timeline cursor to the location of any

Timecode note, click the note’s Jump to Timecode button.

Select Cur- To manually edit a note’s timecode, select the note’s current
rent Time- timecode value and type the new timecode into the text box,
code then press the Enter key.

Click the Resolve Note button to indicate that you have

Resolve
addressed the issue mentioned in the note. Click the button
note / Unre-
again (notice its name has changed to Unresolve Note) to return
solve Note
the note to an unresolved state.

Hide Select the Hide resolved notes checkbox to limit your note view
resolved to just the unresolved notes in your list. Deselect the checkbox
notes to show all notes whether resolved or not.

Click the Delete Note button to delete a note from the Project
Delete Note
Notes window.

Click a note’s More button. In the menu you can select a new
More button color for this note from the list or select the note’s current label
so you can type a new label.

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HOW-TO VIDEO Project Notes

Importing and exporting projects

Project-interchange tools add flexibility to your workflow, allowing you to exchange pro-
jects with other popular editing platforms.

Importing a project
1. From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose a project type from the sub-
menu:
● PREMIERE/AFTER EFFECTS (*.PPROJ): imports an Adobe Premiere or After
Effects project.
● FINAL CUT PRO 7/DAVINCI RESOLVE (*.XML): imports an XML file from
Apple Final Cut Pro 7 or DaVinci Resolve.
● FINAL CUT PRO X (*.FCPXML): imports an XML file from Apple Final Cut Pro
X.

●
EDL TEXT FILE (*.TXT): imports an EDL text file. For more information,
see Edit Decision Lists (p. 118)
The Import dialog is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where the project you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select a file in the browse window or type a name in the FILE NAME box.

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4. Click OPEN.
If elements in the project could not be imported, a report is displayed.

Exporting a project
1. From the File menu, choose EXPORT, and then choose a project type from the sub-
menu:
● PREMIERE/AFTER EFFECTS (*.PPROJ): exports your project for use in
Adobe Premiere or After Effects project.
● FINAL CUT PRO 7/DAVINCI RESOLVE (*.XML): exports your project to an
XML file for use in Apple Final Cut Pro 7 or DaVinci Resolve.
● FINAL CUT PRO X (*.FCPXML): exports your project to an XML file for use in
Apple Final Cut Pro X.

●
EDL TEXT FILE (*.TXT): exports your project to an EDL text file. For more
information, see Edit Decision Lists (p. 118)
The export dialog is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where you want to export the project:

● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Type a name in the FILE NAME box.

4. Click SAVE.
If elements in the project could not be exported, a report is displayed.

Archiving projects
Export your project and its associated media.

1. Choose FILE | EXPORT |VEGAS PROJECT ARCHIVE. The Archive dialog is dis-
played.

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2. Use the Archive dialog to choose options for saving your archive:
a. In the PROJECT FILE box, choose the folder and file name you want to use
to save your archive.

b. Select the INCLUDE NESTED PROJECTS checkbox if you want to include

nested projects in the archive.

c. Select the INCLUDE MEDIA if you want to copy media files with the archive.

d. Select the INCLUDE VIDEO PROXY/AUDIO PEAK FILES checkbox if you

want to include audio peaks and audio/video proxy files with the archive.

For more information, see Rebuild audio peaks (p. 386) or Creating
proxy files for high-definition editing (p. 207)

e. Select the INCLUDE RAW COMPANION FILES checkbox to archive your

VEGAS Pro projects along with the BRAW files you’ve used and any com-
panion files that have been created.

NOTE
RAW companion file archives
When you add Black Magic RAW files to your project and then adjust the
File Format properties, VEGAS Pro creates one or more companion files
that store various pieces of information. If you move your BRAW files to a
new file location without also moving these companion files, some of the
adjustment information will be lost. For example, color adjustments you
make with the File Format properties controls will be lost.
To ensure that none of this information will be lost when you archive your
projects, you can include these companion files in the archive file set.

f. Select the EXCLUDE UNUSED MEDIA if you want to skip archiving unused
media files. If you clear the check box, all project media will be archived.

3. Click the FINISH button to create your project archive.

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Working with P2 Video

The following steps will guide you through the process of using P2 video in your VEGAS Pro
project.

1. Shoot your video with a P2 camera.

2. Start a new VEGAS Pro project, and set your project properties to the format that
most closely matches your desired output format (or use the MATCH MEDIA

VIDEO SETTINGS button in the Project Properties dialog to match an existing

media file).

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

3. Use the Device Explorer window to import your P2 files.

For more information, see Using the Device Explorer (p. 180)

4. Drag your clips from the Project Media window to the timeline to create events.

5. Edit your project as needed.

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TIP
If you're working on a system with limited processing power, converting to a
lower-resolution format will streamline the editing process and allow you to
preview your project with higher frame rates. This process is called proxy edit-
ing.

For more information, see Creating proxy files for high-definition editing
(p. 207)

6. Render your project to any supported rendering format.

If you want to render to P2 format and export the rendered file to a P2 camera, please use
the following steps:

1. Verify that your VEGAS Pro project is set match your P2 file settings.

2. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS.

3. In the Render As dialog, choose PANASONIC P2 MXF in the Output Format box.

4. Use one of the following templates, or select a template and click the CUSTOMIZE
TEMPLATE button to edit its settings.
If you use the Custom Template dialog to customize your rendering template,
leave all settings at their default values except for the FRAME SIZE control.

5. Use the Output File controls to choose where the files will be rendered. The P2 file
format has strict file-naming requirements, so when you render P2 files, you
choose an output folder rather than rendered file names.
Click the BROWSE button to choose where you want to render:
● To render to a P2 camera that's connected to your computer, choose the
CONTENTS folder on the camera's memory card.
● To render to a folder on your computer, choose a folder. If a P2-format
CONTENTS folder exists in the selected folder, VEGAS Pro will use the existing
folder structure. If no P2-format CONTENTS folder exists, VEGAS Pro will create
all necessary files and folders

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File names are automatically incremented when you render. For example, if the
highest-numbered clip in the selected render folder is
..\CONTENTS\VIDEO\00036R.mxf, the next file you render to that folder will be
created as ..\CONTENTS\VIDEO\0004xx.mxf.

IMPORTANT File naming is an important part of the P2 file specification. Do

not change the file names in a P2 CONTENTS folder.

Working with HDR video

When working with HDR video footage, there is a convenient HDR MODE setting in the Pro-
ject Properties dialog to assist you to set several relevant options for HDR in one place.

Selecting HDR10 or HLG in the drop-down menu will turn on all of the following settings:

1. Set Project Pixel format to "32-bit floating point (full range)" in Project Properties
Dialog

2. Set appropriate View Transform ("Rec 2020 ST2084 1000 nits (ACES)" for HDR10
and "Rec 2020 HLG 1000 nits (ACES)" for HLG) in Project Properties Dialog

3. Enable "HDR Preview" in the PREFERENCES | PREVIEW DEVICE dialog and the
"HDR Preview" toolbar button above preview window, if suitable hardware is avail-
able. This applies to both windowed and full-screen preview

4. Set the HDR COMPATIBLE OUTPUT filter in the RENDER AS... dialog. The presets
will be filtered based on HDR mode.

5. Enable the MASTER DISPLAY Settings in Project Properties dialog.

6. Selecting OFF will reset all of the settings to default project settings.

Edit Decision Lists

An Edit Decision List (EDL) is a text summary of a project. An EDL lists of all of the media
files used, where they are placed on the timeline, and how they are trimmed.

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VEGAS Pro EDLs are not the same as those used in traditional linear editing suites and are
not intended as a project interchange for other editing applications.

Because of the significant differences between editing applications, projects that are con-
verted from EDLs (or exported to EDLs) are necessarily simplified. Events are inserted into
the timeline on a single track, and transition effects from the other application are replaced
with crossfades. Projects that are imported from another application's EDL are initially lim-
ited to four audio tracks. If you add more tracks, save the project as a .veg file.

Creating an EDL
1. From the File menu, choose EXPORT | EDL TEXT FILE (*.TXT). The export dialog is
displayed.

2. Select the drive and folder where you want to store the project.

NOTE EDL files do not contain information about the locationof source media.
Save the .txt file in the same folder as the source media.

3. Type a name in the FILE NAME box.

4. Click OK.

Opening an EDL
1. From the File menu, choose IMPORT | EDL TEXT FILE (*.TXT). The import dialog is
displayed.

2. Choose the folder where the project you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the Look in drop-down list.

—or—
● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select a file in the browse window or type a name in the FILE NAME box.

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4. Click OPEN. If you have not saved the current project, you will be prompted to
save your changes.
Events are placed in the VEGAS Pro timeline. All transitions are replaced with
crossfades. You can change the crossfades to other transition types if desired.

For more information, see Automatic crossfades (p. 289)

Closing a Project
From the File menu, choose CLOSE to close the current project. If you have not saved the
project since changes were last made, a dialog appears asking if you want to save your
changes.
● Click NO if you want to close the project without saving it.

● Click YES to save your changes.

● Click CANCEL to return to your current project.

NOTE Use the Save As command to save your project under a different name or file

type. For more information, see Saving and renaming a project (Save As) (p. 108)

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Adding, managing, and arranging media

After you've created a project, you're going to need to add media to it.

The objects you work with in VEGAS® Pro projects are referred to as media files and
events:
● Media files are the source audio and video files that are stored on your hard disk.
VEGAS Pro projects do not operate on or modify these files. Files can be accessed
from the Explorer window.
● An event is an occurrence of a media file on the VEGAS Pro timeline. An event can
represent an entire media file or a portion of it. A single media file can be used
repeatedly to create any number of different events, since each event can be
trimmed independently. An event's position on the timeline determines when it will
be played back in your project.

Using the Project Media window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | PROJECT MEDIA to toggle the display of the Project Media win-
dow.

You can use the Project Media window to collect and arrange all the media you will use in
your project. You can add media, preview it, view and change file properties, and add
effects to a file.

Adding media files to the Project Media window

Files are added to the Project Media window when you open media files, import media, or
add media files to the timeline using the Explorer.

You can also drag the files to the Project Media window from the VEGAS Pro Explorer or
Windows Explorer.

To add media files from external sources, use the buttons in the Project Media toolbar:

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Item Description

Import Media: click to add a media file to your project. Besides the button
there is an arrow to open a menu to change the function of the button,
providing you access to other import functions like importing audio from a
CD or capturing video from a DV tape.

CAPTURE VIDEO: click to start the video capture application specified on

the Video tab of the Preferences dialog.

EXTRACT AUDIO FROM CD: click to extract a track from an audio CD.

For more information, see Extracting audio from CDs (p. 1019)

IMPORTANT VEGAS Pro is not intended, and should not be used for,
illegal or infringing purposes, such as the illegal copying or sharing of
copyrighted materials. Using VEGAS Pro for such purposes is, among
other things, against United States and international copyright laws and
contrary to the terms and conditions of the End User License Agree-
ment. Such activity may be punishable by law and may also subject you
to the breach remedies set forth in the End User License Agreement.

GET MEDIA FROM THE WEB: click to open the Get Media from the Web dia-
log, where you can download files to use in your project.

Project Media Hover Scrubbing

When the Project Media list is in Thumbnail Mode (see below under Changing the appear-
ance of the Project Media window) you can hover with your mouse pointer over the thumb-
nail picture of a video to scrub thru it. This is like a simplified version of the Trimmer
window. As with the big trimmer window, you can click into the picture and drag to select a
part of the video. And you can import just this selection into the time line, offering you a
way to roughly edit of your movie directly from the project media window.

To make a selection in the thumbnail, you can:

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1. Click and drag over the thumbnail to select the part of the item you want to load.

2. Select the item with a left-click.

3. While hovering over the item at the desired location, press I to set the In Point and
O to set the Out Point.

To edit the In- and Out-Points:

● Drag the selection borders with the mouse.

TIP You can dynamically re-size the thumbnails by using Ctrl+Mouse Wheel.

To load an item from the Project Media window into the project, you can:

1. Drag it into the time line to the desired position. If there is a selection in the thumb-
nail, only this part will be used for the new created event.

IMPORTANT Because media selection is also performed by dragging it is

important that you start dragging vertically to not accidentally destroy your
selection.

2. Select the track and place the cursor at the position where the item should be
inserted.

3. Double-click the item or press the Enter key to load.

Bypass Hover Scrub

The Bypass Hover Scrub feature enables you to bypass the default hover scrub behavior in
the Project Media window. With hover scrub bypassed, you can move your mouse across
the thumbnail without scrubbing through the file and thus seeing the thumbnail change.

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If you don’t want the thumbnail to change as you move across the thumbnail:

1. Click the BYPASS HOVER SCRUB button .

2. With this button active, point again to the clip.

3. Without holding the mouse button, move the mouse right and left over the thumb-
nail.
The thumbnail doesn’t change and you are not scrubbing through the video.

To reenable the Hover Scrub feature, click the BYPASS HOVER SCRUB button
again.

NOTE If you click and drag right and left, you can still set the in and out points.
However, without hover scrub active, you won’t see the target frame. So, this means
you can still make a general selection of in and out points in order to add just a portion
of a file. This could still be quite useful when you work with a long file and know gen-
erally the area that holds the frames you want. Remember, you can always trim to your
exact frames directly on the timeline once you add your clip.

Cleaning the Project Media list

Click the REMOVE ALL UNUSED MEDIA FROM PROJECT button to remove any files
that have not been used on the timeline.

Removing a media file from the project

Click the REMOVE SELECTED MEDIA FROM PROJECT button to remove all selected
media files from the Project Media window and project.

If a file is in use by an event on the timeline, you will be prompted to delete the event.

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Swapping video files

Click the Swap Media button to replace video files in the project with alternative files
with the same file name. You will need to select a folder where the exchange files are
stored. Any reference to a video file in the project will be changed to refer to the new file in
the specified folder if there is a file with the same name in that folder. The file extension is
not relevant.

TIP You can also perform this exchange at render time.

Viewing or editing file properties

Click the PROPERTIES button to display the Properties dialog for the selected media

file. For more information, see Viewing or changing media file properties (p. 162)

In most cases, you will not need to edit file properties. However, adjusting the FIELD
ORDER setting for video files can help correct jitter when you output your project to a tele-
vision monitor.

Tagging media files

Use the Media Tags panel in the Project Media window to add tags to your media files. To

show or hide the Media Tags panel, click the down arrow next to the VIEWS button and
choose MEDIA TAGS.

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1 Tags

2 Add Tags Box

3 Quick Tags Area

TIP
A full tag icon indicates the tag is applied to all of the selected media files.

A partial tag icon indicates the tag is applied to only some of the selected media files.

When you add tags to media files, media bins are created for each tag under the "Tags"

folder. For more information, see Sorting your media with bins (p. 159)

Adding tags

1. Select one or more media files in the Project Media window.

2. Type the tag text in the ADD TAGS box.

3. Press Enter to add the tag to the media files.

TIP You can also add tags using keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see
Creating Quick Tags (p. 127)

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Removing tags

1. Select one or more media files in the Project Media window.

2. Press Backspace in the ADD TAGS box to remove tags from the media files.

TIP
You can also click the "x" in the tag icon to remove a tag from a media file:

Creating Quick Tags

Quick Tags allow you to assign tags to keyboard shortcuts that you can use to quickly add
tags to media files.

1. Select one or more media files in the Project Media window.

2. Type the tag text in the ADD TAGS box.

3. Press Ctrl+Shift and the number you want to assign for the shortcut. For example,
press Ctrl+Shift+1 to assign the tag text to the Ctrl+1 shortcut.

4. Press Enter to add the tag to the media files.

Editing Quick Tags

Right-click the Quick Tags area and choose EDIT QUICK TAGS to display the Edit Quick
Tags dialog. You can use this dialog to edit the text of existing Quick Tags or create new
Quick Tags.

Configuring 24p pulldown removal

» Right-click a DV AVI file in the Project Media window and choose FILE FORMAT
PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu to edit file settings from the file format plug-in asso-
ciated with the media file type.

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For 24p NTSC DV AVI files with 2-3 , you can use this dialog to configure removal of pull-
down fields.

In most cases, you will not need to edit pulldown removal settings. However, if the settings
were not properly set in the DV header when your video was captured, you can fine-tune
pulldown removal without recapturing your video.

1. Right-click an AVI file in the Project Media window and choose FILE FORMAT
PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu. The AVI/DV Media Properties dialog is dis-
played.
This command is not available for clips that are not AVI or DV or those that use 2-
3-3-2 pulldown.

2. Select the ENABLE 2-3 PULLDOWN REMOVAL check box.

NOTE You can clear this checkbox if you want to override pulldown removal
for individual files when the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING
24P DV checkbox is selected on the General tab of the Preferences dialog.

3. Choose a setting from the STARTING FRAME TIMECODE OFFSET drop-down list
to indicate what timecode numbers represent which frame in the video sequence.
For example, if you have an NTSC DV file with 2-3 pulldown created on a Sony
JH3 HDCAM deck, the default settings for timecode offset use 0 for the
STARTING FRAME TIMECODE OFFSET.
If you have changed the timecode offsets on the deck (or if you have material with
pulldown from another source) you will have to experiment with the settings to
determine the correct offset.

4. Check for interlacing:

1. In the Project Properties dialog, choose a NTSC DV 24p template from the

Template drop-down list. For more information, see Setting project prop-
erties (p. 72)

2. Choose the BEST (FULL) setting in the Video Preview window to show full
frames.

3. Step though the clip and look for interlace lines in moving objects or back-
grounds.

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4. If you see interlace lines, repeat from step 3 and choose a different offset
value.

5. When no interlace lines appear, the offset is set correctly.

Adding effects to a media file

Click the MEDIA FX button to add an effect to every occurrence of the selected media
file in your project (the source media file is not affected).

Media FX are used for video files only. For more information about adding video effects,
see Adding video effects (p. 513)

Previewing a media file

Select the media file you want to preview.

●
Click the START PREVIEW button to begin previewing the media file.

●
Click the STOP PREVIEW button to stop previewing the media file.

●
Select the AUTO PREVIEW button to automatically preview a media file when
you click it.

Pairing two media files as a stereoscopic 3D subclip

If you have two files that have synchronized timecode — such as video shot on a 3D cam-
era that creates separate left- and right-eye clips — you don't need to align the audio and
video. Just select the clips in the Project Media window and choose PAIR AS
STEREOSCOPIC 3D SUBCLIP from the shortcut menu.

If you view the clip properties for the new subclip, you'll see that the STEREOSCOPIC 3D
MODE is set to PAIR WITH NEXT STREAM.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444)

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Changing the appearance of the Project Media window

Click the VIEWS button and choose a setting from the menu to change the display of
the Project Media window:

Item Description

Displays a simple list of the file name of each file in the Project Media
List
window.

Displays a list of each file in the Project Media window and a spread-
sheet that displays information about the media file:

You can control the information that is displayed by right-clicking the

Project Media window and choosing VIEW from the shortcut menu. A
list of the available fields is displayed in the shortcut menu.

Specific fields can be hidden by dragging them off of the Project

Media window.

The data fields are listed along the top of the Project Media window
and can be reordered by dragging them. Click on the tabs along the
top to sort the data in ascending or descending order.
Details
The COMMENTS field can be used to add notes about a file in the Pro-
ject Media window. Double-click the field to enter text. This inform-
ation is saved with the project and is not saved with the media file
itself.

NOTE Depending on your current time ruler format, you may see
inconsistencies in the timecode values for clips that you captured.
Video Capture uses SMPTE drop time (29.97 fps). If you switch
the time format to SMPTE drop time in the VEGAS Pro window, the
same timecode information will be displayed in the Video Capture
and VEGAS Pro windows.

Thumbnail Displays the first frame of a video file.

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Item Description

Media Tags Shows or hides the Media Tags panel. For more information, see
Tagging media files (p. 125)

Recapturing video
If you've captured video files from a DV device using Video Capture, you can recapture
your clips from the VEGAS Pro window if the media files are deleted.

If a media file cannot be found, any events that refer to the file will display MEDIA OFFLINE,
and the clip will be displayed with a generic icon in the Project Media window (if you're
using the Thumbnail view).

Select the clips that you want to recapture. Right-click a clip and choose RECAPTURE from
the shortcut menu. Video Capture starts in batch capture mode to recapture the clips.

NOTE Depending on your current time ruler format, you may see inconsistencies in the
timecode values for clips that you captured. Video Capture uses SMPTE drop time
(29.97 fps). If you switch the time to SMPTE drop time in the VEGAS Pro window, the
same timecode information will be displayed in the Video Capture and VEGAS Pro win-
dows.

Replacing a media file

You can replace a file in the Project Media window with a different file. Replacing a media
file updates every occurrence of the event to use the new media file contents.

1. Right-click a file in the Project Media window, and choose REPLACE from the
shortcut menu. The Replace Media File dialog is displayed.

2. In the Replace Media File dialog, select the file that you want to use in place of the
current file.

3. Click the OPEN button. The file is replaced in the Project Media window, and
every occurrence of the event is updated to use the new media file contents.

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Creating video proxy files

» Right-click a video file and choose CREATE VIDEO PROXY to create a proxy file (.sfvp0)
alongside the original video file. Proxy files are smaller and faster to work with on the
timeline.

For more information, see Creating proxy files for high-definition editing (p. 207)

Using bins to sort your media

Media bins are folders within projects that you can use to organize your media files.
For more information, see Sorting your media with bins (p. 159)

Selecting all events that refer to a specific media file

1. Right-click a file in the Project Media window and choose SELECT TIMELINE
EVENTS from the shortcut menu. The cursor moves to the first event that uses
the media, the timeline scrolls to the cursor, and all events that use the selected
media file in the active take are selected.

For more information, see Using takes as alternate versions of events (p.
353)

2. Hold Ctrl or Shift while choosing SELECT TIMELINE EVENTS from the shortcut
menu to add the events to the current selection.

TIP
● When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl to move the edge of the pre-
vious or next selected event.
● When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+Shift to create a time selection
from the previous or next selected event.

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Add a high-frame-rate clip to the timeline and adjust its play-

back rate

» Right-click a clip in the Project Media window and choose ADD AT PROJECT FRAME
RATE to create an event at the cursor position and set the event's PLAYBACK RATE value
to allow the event to play back using the project frame rate.

For more information, see Working with high-frame-rate (HFR) clips (p. 148)

Matching project video settings to a media file

» Right-click a file in the Project Media window and choose MATCH PROJECT VIDEO
SETTINGS to update your project video settings to match the selected file.

NOTE If you choose a VEGAS Pro project (.veg) file, VEGAS Pro will match the settings
of the project, not the media within the project.

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

Previewing media files

You can preview media files from the Explorer window or Project Media window before pla-
cing them in your project. When you preview a file, the signal is sent to the Preview bus in
the Master Bus window.

Previewing a media file

1. Select a media file in the VEGAS Pro Explorer or Project Media window.

2. Click the START PREVIEW button in the toolbar to preview the file.

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3. Click the STOP PREVIEW button , select a different file, or place the file in the
project to stop previewing the file.

TIP
● To automatically preview selections when you click a media file in the

Explorer or Project Media window, select the AUTO PREVIEW button .

To turn off Auto Preview, click the AUTO PREVIEW button again.
● Video is previewed in the Trimmer window. If you want to preview in the
Video Preview window, right-click the Trimmer window and deselect the

SHOW VIDEO MONITOR command. For more information, see Using

the Trimmer (p. 314)

For more information, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185)

TIP In the Project Media Window, you can hover with your mouse pointer over the
thumbnail picture of a video to scrub thru it. Read more under Project_Media Hover
Scrubbing

Adjusting audio preview volume

The Preview control in the Master Bus window allows you to view and adjust the playback
volume level. If the control is not visible, choose MIXER PREVIEW FADER from the View
menu.

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Item Description

Drag the fader to adjust the playback volume while previewing the audio
Fader
file.

Displays the playback level.

Meter Right-click and choose a command from the shortcut menu to adjust the
range of the meter, reset clip indicators, or hold peaks/valleys.

Adding media files to your project

After previewing the files to determine which media files you want to use in your project,
you've several options for adding them to your project.

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TIP The volume for new audio tracks is determined by your default track properties.

For more information, see Setting default track properties (p. 426)

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NOTE
● Select the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P DV checkbox
on the General tab of the Preferences dialog if you want to remove when you
open 24 fps progressive-scan DV video files. When the checkbox is cleared,

24p video will be read and edited as 29.97 fps interlaced video (60i). For
more information, see General Tab (p. 1109)
● Select the IMPORT AUDIO AT PROJECT TEMPO checkbox on the Audio tab of
the Preferences dialog if you want ACID loops to be stretched to match the pro-
ject tempo (specified on the Ruler tab of the Project Properties dialog) when
you add them to the timeline or preview from the Explorer window. Clear the
IMPORT AT PROJECT TEMPO checkbox if you want to ignore tempo inform-

ation. For more information, see Audio Tab (p. 1135) and Setting project
properties (p. 72)
● When you add a multichannel audio file (.wav/.wav64, .avi, .mxf, ATRAC, and
BWF) to your project, the audio is added across tracks. For example, if you
import a four-channel WAV file, the audio will be added to four adjacent tracks.
For control over which channels are used by each event, right-click a mul-
tichannel audio event, choose CHANNELS from the shortcut menu, and choose

a command from the submenu. For more information, see Audio channels
(p. 366)
● When you add a multistream audio file to your project, you can choose which
stream you want to use by right-clicking the event, choosing STREAM from the
shortcut menu, and then choosing a stream from the submenu.
● 5.1-channel audio from DVD camcorders will be downmixed to stereo when
importing into a stereo project. When importing into a 5.1 surround project,
audio will be added to separate tracks for the center, front, rear, and LFE chan-
nels.
● If VEGAS Pro cannot read frames in a video event, they will be displayed in red
in the timeline (those frames will be black in the Video Preview window and the
rendered output):

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● If you want to use RAW camera files in your project, the Microsoft Camera
Codec Pack will allow you to view RAW camera files and add them to the
timeline.
● The first time you add video media to the timeline, VEGAS Pro will ask you
whether you want to match your project video settings to match the first video
media you add to the timeline.

NOTE If you choose a VEGAS Pro project (.veg) file, VEGAS Pro will match
the settings of the project, not the media within the project.

Using the Windows Explorer to add media and create events

If you're using the Windows Explorer to browse your computer for media, you can add a
media file quickly by dragging it to the VEGAS Pro window.

The media file is added to the Project Media window, and an event is created where you
drop the file. If you drop the file on an area of the timeline that does not contain a track, a
new track will be created.

Using the VEGAS Pro Explorer to add media and create events
If you're using the VEGAS Pro Explorer to preview files, you can add media by performing
either of the following actions:
● Double-click a media file or VEGAS Pro project to add it to your project. The file is
added to the Project Media window, and an event is created at the cursor pos-
ition.
● Drag a media or project file from the VEGAS Pro Explorer to the timeline. The file is
added to the Project Media window, and an event is created where you drop the
file.

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TIP
● Drag a .veg file to the timeline to add it to the current project as a nested pro-

ject. For more information, see Nesting projects (p. 99)

● Double-click a .veg file in the Explorer window to open a project.

● To add a track from an audio CD, browse to your CD drive and double-click a
.cda file (or drag it to the timeline). You will be prompted to type a name for the
file, and then the track will be extracted. After the track is extracted, it will be
added as an event on an audio track in your project.
● If you're adding video files to the timeline, you can choose to add only the
audio or video stream to your project. Right-click and drag the files to the
timeline. When you drop the files, a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose AUDIO
ONLY or VIDEO ONLY from the shortcut menu and choose a command from
the submenu to arrange the event on the timeline.

IMPORTANT VEGAS Pro is not intended, and should not be used for, illegal or infringing
purposes, such as the illegal copying or sharing of copyrighted materials. Using VEGAS
Pro for such purposes is, among other things, against United States and international
copyright laws and contrary to the terms and conditions of the End User License Agree-
ment. Such activity may be punishable by law and may also subject you to the breach
remedies set forth in the End User License Agreement.

Adding multiple files and creating events

If you're using the Explorer or Project Media window, you can add several media files to
your project at once.

1. Select the media files or VEGAS Pro projects you want to use.

2. Right-click the selected files and drag them to the timeline. A shortcut menu is dis-
played.

3. Choose a command from the shortcut menu to indicate how you want to arrange
the events on the timeline.

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Command Description

Adds the selected media files end-to-end on the track where

you drop them.

TIP Select the AUTOMATICALLY OVERLAP MULTIPLE

SELECTED MEDIA WHEN ADDED checkbox on the Editing
tab of the Preferences dialog if you want to overlap
events when you add them to the same track.
Add Across
AUTOMATIC CROSSFADES must be turned on to use this
Time
feature. For more information, see Editing Tab (p.
1153) and Automatic crossfades (p. 289)

To change the amount of overlap between events, adjust the

AMOUNT setting in the Cut-to-overlap conversion section of
the dialog.

Add Across
Adds the selected media files as events on adjacent tracks.
Tracks

Adds the selected media files as multiple takes of the same

Add As
event. For more information about choosing takes, see Using
Takes
takes as alternate versions of events (p. 353)

If you're dragging video files to the timeline, you can choose

to add only the video stream to your project. Choose VIDEO
Video Only ONLY from the shortcut menu and choose a command from
the submenu to indicate how you want to arrange the events
on the timeline.

If you're dragging video files to the timeline, you can choose

to add only the audio stream to your project. Choose AUDIO
Audio Only ONLY from the shortcut menu and choose a command from
the submenu to indicate how you want to arrange the events
on the timeline.

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NOTE If you change your mind later and want to add a missing media stream to
a video/audio only event, right click on an event and chose Add Missing
Stream for Selected Event

4. Events are created where you drop the files (and the media files are added to the
Project Media window if you're using the Explorer).
The order of the events is determined by file that you click before dragging and
the order of the files in the Explorer or Project Media window: for example, select
the files A.WAV, B.WAV, AND C.WAV. Right-click B.WAV and drag the files to the
timeline. When the shortcut menu is displayed, choose ADD ACROSS TIME. When
you drop the files, B.WAV will be added as the first event, followed by A.WAV and
C.WAV.

Adding media over other events (punching-in vs. inserting)

When you drop a file on a blank spot on the timeline, an event is created at that location.
What happens if you drop a file on an existing event? You can either punch-in or insert an
event.

Punch-in

If you add a media file in the middle of another event, a punch-in is created: an event is cre-
ated where you drop the file, and the new event simply lies on top of any existing events on
the track.

1. Drag a media file from the VEGAS Pro Explorer or Project Media window to the
middle of an existing event (or position the cursor and double-click a file in the
VEGAS Pro Explorer or Project Media window).

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2. The original event maintains its position on the timeline, but cuts to the new event
where you added the new file:

Inserting media

By using auto ripple, you can drop a media file in timeline and automatically move down-

stream events to make space for the new event. For more information, see Post-edit
ripple (p. 307)

1. Select the AUTO RIPPLE button .

2. Drag a media file from the VEGAS Pro Explorer or Project Media window to a pos-
ition on the timeline between two events (or position the cursor and double-click a
file in the VEGAS Pro Explorer or Project Media window).
If you want to insert an event in the middle of an existing event, you can split the
existing event before adding the media file.

For more information, see Splitting events (p. 310)

3. When you add the file, the events to the right move to make space for the new

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event:

Using the Project Media window to add media without creating

events
You can use the Project Media window to collect and arrange all the media you will use in
your project before creating events on the timeline.

From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose MEDIA from the submenu (or click

the IMPORT MEDIA button in the Project Media window) to add a media file to your pro-
ject without adding it to the timeline.

When you're ready to start adding events, you can drag media files from the Project Media
window to the timeline.

For more information, see Using the Project Media window (p. 121)

Using Storyboards
VEGAS Pro enables you to quickly sequence your video in a lean, efficient storyboard work-
flow.

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Storyboards are listed as a bins type in the PROJECT MEDIA window. Each project has at
least one storyboard, the MAIN TIMELINE storyboard. The MAIN TIMELINE storyboard inter-
acts directly with the main project timeline so that anything you do in one is reflected in the
other.

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Adding media to a storyboard

There are two general ways to add media to a storyboard:
● Add media directly to your timeline. This also automatically adds that media to the
MAIN TIMELINE storyboard and the timeline always matches the MAIN TIMELINE
storyboard.
● Add media directly to the storyboard:

1. Navigate to the storyboard you want to work with in the PROJECT MEDIA
tree view

2. Drag files from the EXPLORER Window and drop them into the storyboard
cells:
● Drop a file onto an empty cell to place the file there.

● If you leave empty cells between the previous full cell and the one you
are dropping the new file on, VEGAS Pro fills those empty cells with
placeholder text files.
● You can change the name of these placeholder files to leave yourself
note about what you eventually want to put there.
● You can drop a new file between two existing storyboard files to insert
that file between the two existing ones.
● You can drop a new file directly on top of an existing file in the story-
board to replace the existing file with the new one

3. You can also drag files from the PROJECT MEDIA window ALL MEDIA (or
any other bin) into a storyboard:

1. Drag the file from ALL MEDIA and hover over the storyboard heading.
After a moment, the STORYBOARD Bins heading expands to show you
all of your storyboards.

2. Hover over the storyboard you want to add the file to. After a moment
that storyboard opens.

3. Drop the file into the storyboard. This moves the file from any custom
bin or storyboard into this storyboard. In order to copy the file from

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one bin or storyboard to the new storyboard so that it appears in both

bins, hold the Ctrl key as you follow these steps.

Synchronization between the Timeline and the Main Timeline

Storyboard
When you perform an edit on the timeline, the Main Timeline storyboard does not reflect
the state of the timeline any more, it is not synchronized any more. You can see this by the
colored background of the storyboard.

To synchronize the Main Timeline storyboard with the timeline, click the REFRESH

STORYBOARD button . Click on the down arrow near this button to switch to
AUTOMATICALLY SYNCHRONIZE MAIN TIMELINE STORYBOARD. Now the storyboard is
synchronized automatically after each edit on the timeline.

NOTE Note that this will affect the responsiveness of the program when performing
complex edits.

IMPORTANT While the storyboard is out of sync with the timeline, VEGAS Pro will not
allow modifications of the storyboard until it is refreshed and will prompt you with the
option to refresh.

Changes in the main timeline storyboard are always reflected on the timeline so there's no
need for a synchronization in this direction.

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Moving items around in the storyboard (organizing the story-

board)
Once files are placed in your storyboard, you can arrange them however you want. To
move a file from one storyboard cell to another, hold the Alt key, drag the thumbnail to the
new location, and release the mouse button to drop the thumbnail into the new position.
The existing event in that spot and all following moves to the right to make room, the clips
that follow the moved clip move to the left to close the gap.

NOTE The Alt key is necessary because simply dragging a thumbnail sets a selection
on the media (see Project Media Hover Scrubbing (p. 122) for details)

Previewing a storyboard
Once you have files in your storyboard, you can preview the storyboard to quickly review
your edits so far:
● To preview a single file from the storyboard, select the file and click the Project

Media window START PREVIEW button .

● To preview more than one file, select the files you want to view (use the Ctrl or
Shift keys to select multiple files) and click the Start Preview button. This pre-
views only the selected files one after the other in the order in which they appear
in the storyboard.
● To preview all files in the storyboard sequentially, either select all of them, or
deselect all of them and then click the Start Preview button. If all files or no files
are selected, this will preview then entire storyboard from start to finish.

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Creating a new storyboard

While each project has a Main Timeline storyboard by default, you can add as many new
storyboards as you want. This enables you to experiment with alternate sequences for
your project. To create a new storyboard, right-click the STORYBOARD BINS heading in
the Project Media tree list and choose CREATE NEW BIN from the context menu.

Additional storyboards are not associated with the main timeline and changes you make to
them will not be reflected on the main timeline, nor will changes to the main timeline have
any affect on unassociated storyboards.

Adding a storyboard to the timeline

Changes made to the MAIN TIMELINE storyboard are automatically reflected in the main
timeline, so you don't need to do anything special to add the MAIN TIMELINE storyboard to
the timeline.

If you want to add the contents of an unassociated storyboard to your main timeline:
● Drag one or more files from the storyboard to the main timeline

● Drag the Storyboard bin to the timeline to add all files in the storyboard to the
timeline

NOTE When you drag files from an unassociated storyboard to the timeline, the MAIN
TIMELINE storyboard is updated to reflect the changes made to the timeline

Working with high-frame-rate (HFR) clips

If you want to use high-frame-rate clips to create slow-motion effects, you need to adjust
the clip's playback rate to conform to the project's frame rate.

You can use the Project Media window to set the clip's playback rate when creating
events, or you can use the Event Properties dialog to edit events already on the timeline.

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Adding HFR clips from the Project Media window

1. Add your clips to the Project Media window. For more information, see Using
the Project Media window (p. 121)

2. Click to position the cursor in the timeline where you want to create an event.

3. Right-click the clip in the Project Media window and choose ADD AT PROJECT
FRAME RATE.
An event is created at the cursor position, and the event's PLAYBACK RATE value
is calculated to allow the event to play back using the project frame rate. For
example, if you add a 120 fps clip to a project with a frame rate of 30 fps, the
event's playback rate will be set to .25.

NOTE
Event playback is limited to a range of .25 to 4.0x playback. If the event needs
to be modified beyond that range, a velocity envelope is applied. For example,
when using a 240 fps clip in a 24 fps project, the event's playback rate is set to
.25, and a velocity envelope is applied to achieve the required playback rate of
.1. In these cases, the event's audio will not play in sync with the video.
If you need to check or adjust your project's frame rate, you can use the Pro-

ject Properties dialog. For more information, see Setting project properties
(p. 72)

Setting the playback rate of an existing event

1. Right-click the clip on the timeline and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut
menu.

2. On the Video Event tab of the Project Properties dialog, click the CONFORM TO
PROJECT FRAME RATE button.
The event's PLAYBACK RATE value is calculated to allow the event to play back
using the project frame rate. For example, if you add a 120 fps clip to a project
with a frame rate of 30 fps, the event's playback rate will be set to .25.

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NOTE
Event playback is limited to a range of .25 to 4.0x playback. If the event needs
to be modified beyond that range, a velocity envelope is applied. For example,
when using a 240 fps clip in a 24 fps project, the event's playback rate is set to
.25, and a velocity envelope is applied to achieve the required playback rate of
.1. In these cases, the event's audio will not play in sync with the video.
If you need to check or adjust your project's frame rate, you can use the Pro-

ject Properties dialog. For more information, see Setting project properties
(p. 72)

3. Trim the event end to adjust the event so all frames are visible. For more
information, see Adjusting an event's length (p. 327)

Adding layered PSD files to the timeline

You can add layered PSD files to the VEGAS Pro timeline, with each layer of the file being
an event on its own track.

These events are just like other events in VEGAS Pro software. For example, you could use
track motion to move layers individually, use parent tracks to group and move layers
together, apply track effects to animate just one layer of the graphic, or you could replace
a layer with a video.

1. Select a layered PSD file in the Explorer or Project Media window.

2. Right-click and drag the file to the timeline.

3. When you release the mouse button, a shortcut menu is displayed. Choose ADD
ACROSS TRACKS to import the PSD layers across tracks in the timeline.
The PSD layers, including the composite layer, are now available as streams. You
can change an event’s stream by right-clicking an event, choosing STREAM from
the shortcut menu, and then choosing the stream you want to use for the event.

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Inserting a Slideshow
VEGAS Pro offers the SLIDESHOW CREATOR, where you can create slideshows of still pho-
tos in seconds. Just choose your photos and decide on a few details.

● Open the Slideshow Creator and select your Photos.

1. In the VEGAS Pro menu bar, go to INSERT | SLIDESHOW, or right-click in a

video track and choose INSERT SLIDESHOW. The SLIDESHOW CREATOR
window appears with the PICTURES tab open by default.

2. Click either the ADD PICTURES text or the folder icon in the upper left. In
the Open window, go to the folder which contains your images.

3. Select all the images, or CTRL-click to pick individual images. Click OPEN.
The Slideshow Creator window populates with the images you chose.
● Adjust your Photos

Arrange the sequence to your preference. You can drag individual images into a
custom order, or you can use buttons for automatic arrangement.

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If you need to remove a photo, select it and click the DELETE

button.

Click ROTATE COUNTERCLOCKWISE or ROTATE CLOCKWISE

to change the orientation of any selected images.

Click MOVE SELECTED -1 to move selected images ahead by

one in the sequence. Click MOVE SELECTED +1 to move them
further back by one.

Click SORT A TO Z or SORT Z TO A for alphabetical or reverse

alphabetical order.

Click SORT NEW TO OLD or SORT OLD TO NEW for chro-

nological or reverse chronological order.

Click SHUFFLE for random order.

● Set Photo Length and Transition Style

» Click the SETTINGS tab.

Under Slideshow Placement, choose if you want your

Slideshow slideshow to begin at the timeline cursor, or type in an exact
Placement frame on the timeline where you’d like the slideshow to
begin.

Set the length you want each photo to be on the screen. You
can also type in an exact length for your slideshow. The
Duration Slideshow Creator automatically adjusts the duration of each
photo proportionally so the sequence fits within the time you
defined.

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Click the EFFECTS drop-down menu in the EFFECTS box,

which shows your choices for the transition style between
images. You can choose styles which add pan and/or zoom
animation to your images automatically. If you choose a spe-
Effects
cific style, all of the transitions in the slideshow will be that
style. If you’d like mixed transitions, choose Random. Define
the length of transition between images with the Overlap
value.

● Click CREATE. Within seconds, your slideshow appears on the timeline at the
point you chose under SLIDESHOW PLACEMENT.

Importing media from a project file

From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose MEDIA FROM PROJECT from the
submenu to add media from another VEGAS Pro project file to your project.

Using this feature, you can create small, template projects to streamline frequent editing
tasks.

NOTE Generated media and offline media files are not imported.

1. From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose MEDIA FROM PROJECT
from the submenu. The Import Media dialog box is displayed.

2. Choose the folder where the file you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select a file in the browse window or type a name in the FILE NAME box.

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4. If you want to import the project's media bins, select the IMPORT BINS check box.

For more information, see Sorting your media with bins (p. 159)

Select the MERGE WITH EXISTING BINS checkbox if you want to merge the impor-
ted project's bins with the current project. When the checkbox is cleared, a bin is
created using the imported project's name, and the project's bins are imported
inside that bin.

5. Click OPEN.

6. The project's media is added to the Project Media window. For more inform-
ation, see Using the Project Media window (p. 121)

Importing Broadcast Wave Format files

You can use Broadcast Wave Format (BWF) files to exchange audio between audio editors
or broadcasting platforms.

Broadcast Wave Format files are similar to standard .wav files, but they contain additional
metadata including timestamps that tell the software where to add audio on the VEGAS Pro
timeline.

NOTE You can also add Broadcast Wave Format files to your project by dragging them
from the Explorer window to the timeline. However, if you drag a BWF file to the
timeline, events are created where you drop the file. Using the Import Broadcast Wave
dialog ensures that events are arranged according to the timestamps in the file.

1. From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose BROADCAST WAVE
FORMAT from the submenu. The Import Broadcast Wave Format dialog is dis-
played.

2. Choose the folder where the project you want to open is stored:
● Choose a drive and folder from the LOOK IN drop-down list.

● Choose a folder from the RECENT drop-down list to quickly select a folder
from which you have previously opened files.

3. Select the files you want to open in the browse window.

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Information about the selected files is displayed at the bottom of the Import Broad-
cast Wave dialog.

4. From the ARRANGE drop-down list, choose a setting to indicate how you want to
arrange audio events on the timeline:

Setting Description

Add across A separate track is created for each BWF file you
tracks import.

Add across time All selected BWF files are added to a single track.

NOTE Audio from multichannel BWF files is always added across tracks,
regardless of the ARRANGE setting. For example, if you import a four-channel
BWF file, the audio will be added to four adjacent tracks. For control over
which channels are used by each event, right-click a multichannel audio event,
choose CHANNELS from the shortcut menu, and choose a command from the

submenu. For more information, see Audio channels (p. 366)

5. If you chose ADD ACROSS TRACKS in step 4, choose a setting from the ORDER
TRACKS drop-down list to indicate how you want to arrange the tracks in the
track list:

Setting Description

Sorts tracks chronologically using the timestamp in each

file.
By timestamp
Select a file in the Import Broadcast Wave dialog to dis-
play its timestamp at the bottom of the dialog.

Alphabetically Sorts tracks alphabetically using the names of the files

by filename you import.

6. Choose a setting from the POSITIONING drop-down list to indicate where impor-
ted audio will be added to the timeline.

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Setting Description

Adds each imported file to the VEGAS Pro timeline at the exact
Use ruler position indicated by its timestamp. For example, if you import
time a BWF file with a timestamp of 00:00:30;00, the media would
be added to the timeline at the thirty-second mark on the ruler.

Adds each imported file to the VEGAS Pro timeline and offsets
the timestamp value by the cursor position. For example, if you
Relative
position the cursor at 00:00:10;00 before importing a BWF file
to cursor
with a timestamp of 00:00:30;00, the media would be added to
the timeline at the forty-second mark on the ruler.

7. Click OPEN. The selected files are imported and added to the timeline of the cur-
rent project.

Importing Blackmagic RAW Format files

NOTE This feature is still in beta. Some features may not work as expected.

Blackmagic RAW is a lossless video codec that offers the benefits of RAW recording, such
as the ability to set ISO and white balance after shooting. It also offers lower bitrates and
fast CPU and GPU decoding.

VEGAS Pro supports Blackmagic RAW files. You can add these clips to your timeline just as
you would any other file. Once you have them on your timeline, you can use all of the nor-
mal editing tools to work with them.

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To adjust the RAW settings for the clip

● Right-click the clip in the PROJECT MEDIA window, and select FILE FORMAT
PROPERTIES from the context menu. These controls enable you to adjust various
RAW settings, such as color temperature or ISO.
● If you’ve made adjustments to these controls and want to reset them to their
default settings, click the DEFAULTS button.

NOTE In the initial implementation, to adjust the Gamma Controls settings, first select
Blackmagic Design Custom from the Color Space drop-down list.

NOTE The process of working with raw files and adjusting the format settings can cre-
ate several companion files, some of which are generated only after you add the file to
your timeline. You'll find these files in the same folder that you stored your original raw
file in and they’ll have the same name as the video file, but with different extensions. If
you move your raw file to a new file system location, make sure to move all of the com-
panion files along with it. If you don’t, returning to the camera defaults may have unpre-
dictable results, your proxy files may not function properly, and other issues may arise.

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Using HitFilm effects

If you have HitFilm Pro installed, you can use HitFilm projects in your VEGAS Pro timeline.

Adding a HitFilm project to the timeline

You can add HitFilm projects to your VEGAS Pro project in the same way you add other
media files: simply add the HitFilm project (.hfp) file to your project.

For more information, see Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

Adding HitFilm effects to an event

1. Right-click the video event where you want to add the effects and choose ADD
HITFILM EFFECT from the shortcut menu.
A HitFilm project (.hfp) file is created in the folder where your media file is saved
using the same base name as your media file, and the event's active take is

updated to use the HitFilm project file. For more information, see Using takes
as alternate versions of events (p. 353)

NOTE If you have multiple events selected, the event under the mouse pointer
is used.

2. HitFilm Pro starts so you can edit your HitFilm effects as necessary.

NOTE For more information about using HitFilm Pro, please refer to its doc-
umentation.

3. When you're finished editing, save your HitFilm project and close HitFilm Pro. The
event's active take is updated with the edited version of your HitFilm project.

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Editing HitFilm effects on an event

1. Right-click a video event that is using a HitFilm project (.hfp) as its active take and
choose EDIT IN HITFILM from the shortcut menu.

2. HitFilm Pro starts so you can edit your HitFilm effects as necessary.

NOTE For more information about using HitFilm Pro, please refer to its doc-
umentation.

3. When you're finished editing, save your HitFilm project and close HitFilm Pro. The
event's active take is updated with the edited version of your HitFilm project.

Sorting your media with bins

When you're creating your masterpiece, your project is likely to get a little unwieldy—you
can't express creative genius with a handful of media files, after all.

The detailed view of the Project Media window helps you sort your media files using their
attributes, but for more control, you can create bins. Bins are folders within projects that
you can use to organize your media files.

Media bins are virtual folders that are saved with your project. They do not affect the way
media is saved on your computer.

TIP
●
Bins are automatically created for each media tag. For more information,
see Tagging media files (p. 125)
● Bins are automatically created for each type of media in your project: audio,
video, and still images.

Creating a bin
Right-click the parent bin where you want to create a new bin and choose CREATE NEW
BIN from the shortcut menu.

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The new bin is created inside the bin you clicked.

Adding media to a bin

1. Browse your existing bins to find the media file you want to move. The All Media
folder contains all media files in your project.

2. Drag a file from the right pane to a bin.

Searching media bins

1. Right-click a media bin and choose SEARCH MEDIA BINS from the shortcut menu.

2. The Search Media Bins dialog is displayed.

3. Use the drop-down lists in the Search Media Bins dialog to set your search con-
ditions, and then click the SEARCH button to search the selected bin and all sub-
bins.

4. Your search is added to the folder list. Click the SEARCH RESULTS icon to view
the matching files.

TIP Right-click the SEARCH RESULTS icon and choose SAVE AS BIN from the
shortcut menu to save the results of your search as a new media bin.

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Using smart bins

Smart bins are saved search results that are automatically updated when new media items
match the search results. You can also edit the search criteria of an existing smart bin.

Creating a smart bin

Right-click the SEARCH RESULTS icon and choose SAVE AS SMART BIN from the shortcut
menu to save the results of your search as a new smart bin.

Editing a smart bin

Right-click the smart bin and choose EDIT SEARCH from the shortcut menu to display the
Search Media Bins dialog and edit your search conditions. Click the SEARCH button when
you are done.

Automatically adding recorded or captured files to a media bin

Select a media bin if you want to automatically add your recorded audio to a media bin.

If the ADD CAPTURED CLIPS TO MEDIA POOL checkbox is selected in the Video Capture
post-capture dialog, your captured clips will be added to the selected media bin.

Deleting media from a bin

1. Select a media file.

2. Press Delete on your keyboard.

● If the All Media folder is selected, the file will be removed from your project.

● If a media bin is selected, the file is removed from the bin, but remains part
of your project. The file is still available in the All Media folder.

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Viewing or changing media file properties

In the Project Media window, click the MEDIA PROPERTIES button to display the Prop-
erties dialog for the selected media file.

The application will try to detect the properties of your media files automatically. In most
cases, you will not need to edit file properties.

Editing properties for an audio file

Select an audio file in the Project Media window and click the MEDIA PROPERTIES button

to display the Properties dialog.

TIP You can also view the properties for the media file associated with an event. Right-
click the event, choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu, and click the Media tab.

The following settings are available for audio files.

Item Description

File name Displays the current media file name and location.

This can be used to display the name of the tape from which you
recorded the audio. The name can be edited here or in the cor-
Tape name
responding field in the Edit Details window. For more information,
see Using the Edit Details Window (p. 381)

If a file contains multiple streams, you can use this control to select
Stream
the stream for which you want view properties.

Attributes Displays the file's , , number of channels, and length.

Format Displays the compression format of the file.

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Editing properties for a video file

Select a video file in the Project Media window and click the MEDIA PROPERTIES button

to display the Properties dialog.

TIP You can also view the properties for the media file associated with an event. Right-
click the event, choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu, and click the Media tab.

The following settings are available for video files.

Item Description

File name Displays the current media file name and location.

This can be used to display the name of the tape from which you
captured the video. The name can be edited here or in the cor-
Tape name
responding field in the Edit Details window. For more inform-
ation, see Using the Edit Details Window (p. 381)

Use timecode
Select this radio button to accept the default timecode settings.
in file

Use custom Select this radio button to specify a beginning value for the time-
timecode code.

If a file contains multiple streams, you can use this control to

Stream
select the stream for which you want view properties.

Format Displays the compression format of the file.

Displays the frame size, in pixels (x,y). color depth, and length of
Attributes
the file.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to change the field order
of the file. Consult your capture/video output card's manual for the
proper field order.
● NONE (PROGRESSIVE SCAN) – Select this option when
viewing the video on a computer. This option ignores inter-
lacing.
Field order
● UPPER FIELD FIRST – Select this option (also called odd
or field A) for video that will be viewed on a television.
● LOWER FIELD FIRST – Select this option (also called even
or field B) for DV output or if UPPER FIELD FIRST pro-
duces jittery or shaky output or if your hardware manual
specifies lower field first.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to change the of the file.
Pixel aspect This setting will depend on your capture/video output card. Con-
ratio sult your capture/video output card manual for the proper set-
tings.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to change the inform-

ation for the file.

If the alpha channel in an image is not detected, choose the cor-

rect type of alpha channel from this drop-down list. If you're
unsure, try the PREMULTIPLIED setting first.
● UNDEFINED – Video provides no alpha channel inform-
ation. This setting ignores any alpha channel information
in the file.
● NONE – Video has no alpha channel or there is an alpha
channel but it's completely opaque (solid).

Alpha channel ● STRAIGHT (UNMATTED) – Transparency information is

maintained in only the alpha channel. Alpha information
must be applied to the RGB channels before compositing.
● PREMULTIPLIED – The standard method of handling alpha
information. Transparency information is maintained in the
alpha and RGB channels, and the image is ready for com-
positing. No RGB component exceeds the alpha value.
● PREMULTIPLIED (DIRTY) – Similar to PREMULTIPLIED, but
RGB components may exceed the alpha. This setting is
used mainly for images created by 3D applications
involving compositing of 3D images over a non-solid color
image background.

Color space Choose the color space that the media is in. For more inform-
ation, see Specifying the color space for individual shots (p. 870)

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Item Description

Choose the color range of the selected media. VEGAS Pro detects
the media's color range if the media supports color range
metadata. Most reader plug-ins support the color range override
option.

NOTE If the color range is “limited” or “Undefined” in Y’CbCr

format, 16-236 and 16-255 color ranges will be converted to 0-
255 RGB (full range). If the color range is full, no level con-
Color Range
version is performed when decoding Y’CbCr format into RGB
color space.

IMPORTANT The color range override option is applicable only

when you've set your Project Properties to full range mode. Cur-
rently, color range override is not supported in some reader plu-
gins like MVC and WMV, or in still images readers.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to rotate a media file's

orientation.

In this example, the video was shot with the camera tripod rotated
90 degrees. The project is rotated, but the media doesn't match
the project orientation, so the video is letterboxed within the
frame.

Rotation

After choosing 90 CLOCKWISE° from the ROTATION drop-down

list, the media is rotated, and the video fills the frame.

TIP
● If you want to rotate a project's orientation, you can use
the OUTPUT ROTATION drop-down list on the Video

tab of the Project Properties dialog. For more

information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)
● To rotate multiple files quickly, select them in the Pro-
ject Media window, right-click a selected file, and then
choose ROTATE 90 CLOCKWISE° or ROTATE 90
COUNTERCLOCKWISE° from the shortcut menu.
● For more information about working with rotated pro-
jects, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose the ste-

reoscopic 3D mode for the media file. For more information,

see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444)
● OFF – Choose this setting for 2D media or to treat a
multistream video as 2D.
● PAIR WITH NEXT STREAM – Choose this setting for
multistream 3D video, such as video from paired files
CineForm Neo3D files (version 5.1 or later), or files from a
3D camera.
● SIDE BY SIDE (HALF) – Choose this setting when your
video contains left- and right-eye views in a single frame.
Left- and right-eye views are displayed as half of the avail-
able horizontal resolution.
● SIDE BY SIDE (FULL) – Choose this setting when your
Stereoscopic video contains left- and right-eye views in a single frame.
3D mode
Left- and right-eye views are displayed using the full hori-
zontal resolution.
● TOP/BOTTOM (HALF) – Choose this setting when your
video contains left- and right-eye views stacked in a
single frame.
Left- and right-eye views are displayed as half of the avail-
able vertical resolution.
● TOP/BOTTOM (FULL) – Choose this setting when your
video contains left- and right-eye views stacked in a
single frame.
Left- and right-eye views are displayed using the full ver-
tical resolution.
● LINE ALTERNATE – Choose this setting when your video
contains interlaced 3D video.
Left- and right-eye views are interlaced using half of the

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Item Description

available vertical resolution.

Select this checkbox if you need to switch the left- and right-eye
Swap pictures. This setting is useful if you're using a line-alternate dis-
Left/Right play that displays the right eye on top, if you're using magenta/-
green anaglyphic glasses, or to create cross-eye free-view 3D.

Editing properties for multiple video files

Select two or more video files in the Project Media window and click the MEDIA

PROPERTIES button to display the Properties dialog.

The following settings can be edited for multiple video files:

● FRAME RATE (for still-image sequences)

● FIELD ORDER

● PIXEL ASPECT RATIO

● ALPHA CHANNEL and BACKGROUND COLOR

● COLOR SPACE

● ROTATION

● STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE

● SWAP LEFT/RIGHT

If a setting is not the same for all selected video files, (DIFFERING VALUES) is displayed. If
you do not change the setting, the differing values are kept.

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Saving settings to video profiles for future auto-detection

If you frequently need to edit the settings for a type of video file, click the SAVE SETTINGS

TO VIDEO PROFILES FOR FUTURE AUTO-DETECTION button after editing the settings
on the Properties dialog.

The new settings are used whenever a file of that type is detected.

Inserting audio tracks

From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO TRACK to add a new, blank track at the end of the
track list.

If you want to add a track in a specific location, right-click a track header and choose
INSERT AUDIO TRACK from the shortcut menu. The new track will be inserted above the
selected track.

NOTE When you drag a media file from the Explorer window or Project Media window
to an area of the timeline that does not contain a track, a new track will be created and
a new event containing the media file is added to the new track.

TIP You can change the default track volume, pan type, height, track effects, and
record input monitor status by right-clicking a track and choosing SET DEFAULT

TRACK PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu. For more information, see Setting
default track properties (p. 426)

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.sfk files
Sfk files store audio peak data that VEGAS Pro uses to draw audio waveforms and monitor
audio peak levels for metering. These are permanent files which VEGAS Pro creates auto-
matically when you add audio to your timeline (including the audio portion of a video file).
Typically, they have a very small file size and don’t take up much room on your hard drive.

An .sfk file has the identical name as the audio file from which it is created. They are cre-
ated in the same folder on your computer drives that hold the audio you added. Once the
.sfk file has been created, VEGAS Pro uses that information any time you add that same
audio file to the same or a different project (as long as the .sfk file remains in the same
folder that holds the audio file and has the identical name as the audio file). This saves time
that is required to build these files after the first time you use that audio.

You can safely delete .sfk files at any time but be aware that if you do so and then add the
corresponding audio file to a project, VEGAS Pro will have to take the time to recreate the
.sfk file.

NOTE Note that .sfk files are not shown in the VEGAS Pro Explorer window (and never
have been). To see .sfk files, you need to use Windows Explorer to navigate to the
folder that holds your audio. As you can see in the figure below, .sfk files are not shown
for the files littlArrow.mp4 and RedPulsingArrow.mov in the VEGAS Pro Explorer win-
dow (on the left) but they are shown in Windows Explorer (on the right).

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Inserting video tracks

From the INSERT menu, choose VIDEO TRACK to add a new, blank track at the top of the
track list.

If you want to add a track in a specific location, right-click a track header and choose
INSERT VIDEO TRACK from the shortcut menu. The new track will be inserted above the
selected track.

NOTE When you drag a media file from the Explorer window or Project Media window
to an area of the timeline that does not contain a track, a new track will be created and
a new event containing the media file is added to the new track.

TIP You can change the default compositing mode, height, and track effects by right-
clicking a track and choosing SET DEFAULT TRACK PROPERTIES from the shortcut

menu. For more information, see Setting default track properties (p. 426)

Screen Capturing with VEGAS Capture

To capture the video from any window on your computer, use the integrated VEGAS Cap-
ture program.

Open VEGAS Capture

● Choose FILE MENU | VEGAS CAPTURE or,

● in the Project Media window, chose SCREEN CAPTURE from the IMPORT MEDIA
menu or,

●
click the VEGAS CAPTURE button in the Project Media window toolbar.

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Record screen capture

1. Video sources
On the left side all VIDEO SOURCES are displayed as preview windows. All con-
nected monitors and cameras can be used as capture sources.
● Use the checkboxes in the upper left corner of the preview monitors to
select the sources you actually want to capture.

●
Hide the respective category with the camera or the monitor button.

2. Audio sources
On the right side, choose one or more AUDIO SOURCES. You can capture from
each audio playback and recording device.

●
Hide and show these source types with the mic and the speaker but-
ton.

3. Click the record button to start the recording. The record button turns into a

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stop button and every selected source is now captured.

4. To finish the recording, click the stop button.

Save screen capture

Click the save button to save the media as a VEGAS Capture project (*.vegcap file).

This is a special project file that refers to all captured audio and video data and you can
load it in later VEGAS Pro sessions.

Import screen capture

If you are happy with your recording, you can click the import button to add the recor-
ded video and audio to your project.

When inserting the media into the project, a new track is created for each video and audio
source.

Settings

Click the settings button to configure the VEGAS Capture application:

Choose from three designs to customize the look of

Theme
the program.

Language Select the language of the program interface.

Minimize to System Tray / Choose, where to find the program once it's min-
Task Bar imized.

Specify the folder where the captured media is stored

Save captured media to
on your hard disk.

Converting video to 24p

If you want to create a 24 fps, progressive-scan project using existing interlaced video,
you're in luck: VEGAS Pro makes easy work of converting your existing footage.

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TIP
If you are shooting interlaced video that you plan to convert to 24p, your camera's shut-
ter speed will determine the quality of frame rate conversion in VEGAS Pro:
● If you're shooting NTSC or HDV 60i video, set your shutter speed to 1/60
second.
● If you're shooting PAL or HDV 50i video, set your shutter speed to 1/50
second.

These settings will provide the smoothest-looking motion possible after conversion.
Faster frame rates can produce visibly choppy motion.

1. Start a new project. For more information, see Creating a new project (p. 72)

2. Set your project properties:

a. From the File menu, choose PROPERTIES. The Project Properties dialog is
displayed.

b. From the TEMPLATE drop-down list, choose NTSC DV 24P.

c. Click OK to close the Project Properties dialog and apply your changes.

3. Add the video to the timeline. For more information, see Adding media files to
your project (p. 135)

4. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS.

5. Render the file using the NTSC DV 24P (INSERTING 2-3-3-2 PULLDOWN) AVI tem-

plate. This template allows for more efficient pulldown removal. For more

information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

Working with cameras

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Working with RED camera clips

RED ONE®, EPIC®, SCARLET®, and WEAPON® cameras record 4K footage as REDCODE™
RAW (.r3d) files that you can add directly to the VEGAS® Pro timeline and edit like any
other supported media type.

Using RED camera clips in a VEGAS Pro project

1. Use the Device Explorer to browse and import clips from your RED camera's
memory card or hard drive to your local hard drive.

For more information, see Using the Device Explorer (p. 180)

2. Set your project properties to match the format of your final output:

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

● To output a 4K still image sequence, use the 4K 16:9 24P (4096X2304, 23.976
FPS) template.
● To output a 2K still image sequence, use the 2K 16:9 24P (2048X1152, 23.976
FPS) template.
● To output to Blu-ray Disc™, use the HD 1080-24P (1920X1080, 23.976 FPS)
template.

3. Drag the clips from the Explorer or Project Media window to the timeline to create
events.

NOTE RED cameras create new "rollover" files for each clip each time a file
reaches 2 GB on disk. For example, a 10-minute clip recorded in 4K will be
approximately 20 GB on disk, divided among 10 .r3d files. You can drag any
one of these files to the timeline to place the entire clip on the timeline.

4. Edit your project as needed.

For more information, see Editing events on the timeline (p. 238)

5. Render your project for your destination format.

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Modifying R3D decode properties

You can modify the decode properties of your RED camera files in the R3D Decode Prop-
erties window. These settings are applied nondestructively to the raw .r3d file as
metadata.

To access this window for one or more .r3d files, select the files in the Project Media win-
dow, right-click them, and choose FILE FORMAT PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

IMPORTANT The decode properties are stored in a .SfDecProp file that is saved using
the same base name as the clip. Do not edit the contents of this file.

Modifying properties for multiple files

● When multiple files are selected, check boxes appear for slider settings that do
not match across all selected files. When you drag the slider or type a new value,
the checkbox is automatically selected, and the new value is applied to all selec-
ted files when you click OK. Clear the checkbox to leave the setting unchanged
for the selected files.
● If values already match for a slider setting, no checkbox is displayed, and any
changes made to the setting are applied to all selected files.
● If values do not match for a drop-down setting, the setting is blank. If you choose
a value for a blank drop-down setting, that value is applied to all selected files.

Restoring default values

● Double-click a slider to restore the setting to the clip default.

● Click the CLIP DEFAULT button to restore all settings to the clip default.

● Click the FACTORY DEFAULT button to restore all settings to the default settings
of the camera.

For more information about the settings in the R3D Decode Properties window, refer to
your RED ONE camera documentation or http://www.red.com/support. These settings map
directly to settings on the RED cameras.

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Working with AVCHD video

You can edit files recorded with AVCHD camcorders just like any other supported media
type on the timeline.

The following steps will guide you through the process of using AVCHD video in your
VEGAS® Pro project.

NOTE 5.1-channel audio will be downmixed to stereo when importing into a stereo pro-
ject. When importing into a 5.1 surround project, audio will be added to separate tracks
for the center, front, rear, and LFE channels.

1. Shoot your video with an AVCHD camcorder.

2. Start a new VEGAS Pro project, and set your project properties to the format that
most closely matches your desired output format.
For example, if you intend to burn the video to an NTSC DVD, choose NTSC DV
(720X480, 29.970 FPS) from the TEMPLATE drop-down list on the Video tab of the
PROJECT PROPERTIES dialog. If you want to create a 4.8 Mbps high-definition
Windows Media Video file, choose HDV 720-24P (1280X720, 23.976 FPS).

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

3. Import your AVCHD files.

For more information, see Using the Device Explorer (p. 180)

4. Drag your clips from the Project Media window to the timeline to create events.

5. Edit your project as needed.

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TIP
If you're working on a system with limitedprocessing power, converting to a
lower-resolution format will streamlinethe editing process and allow you to pre-
view your project with higherframe rates. This process is called proxy editing.

For more information, see Creating proxy files for high-definition editing
(p. 207)

6. Render your project to any supported rendering format.

If you want to render to AVCHD format and export the rendered file to an AVCHD camera,
please use the following steps:

1. Verify that your VEGAS Pro project is set to 5.1 surround mode.

For more information, see 5.1 surround projects (p. 892)

2. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS.

3. In the Render As dialog, choose SONY AVC/MVC in the FORMATS box.

4. Use one of the following templates:

● AVCHD 1440x1080 NTSC 5.1 Surround

● AVCHD 1920x1080 NTSC 5.1 Surround

● AVCHD 1440x1080 PAL 5.1 Surround

● AVCHD 1920x1080 PAL 5.1 Surround

5. If you choose to use the Custom Template dialog to customize your rendering tem-
plate, leave all settings at their default values except for the BIT RATE control.
The default BIT RATE setting should work for most applications.

6. To save the rendered file to your camera, you'll need to use the software that was
supplied with your camera.

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Using the Device Explorer

The Device Explorer allows you to browse and import clips from AVCHD, XDCAM EX,
NXCAM, XAVC, XAVC S, Panasonic P2, and RED ONE/EPIC/SCARLET/WEAPON devices;
CompactFlash-based memory recording units such as the HVR-MRC1; and hard-disk-
based recording units such as the HVR-DR60.

For more information, see Working with AVCHD video (p. 178) and Working with RED
camera clips (p. 176)

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | DEVICE EXPLORER. The Device Explorer window is dis-
played.

2. Connect your camera to a USB port on your computer. The camera is displayed on
the left side of the Device Explorer window.

3. Select your camera on the left side of the Device Explorer window. The camera's
clips are displayed on the right side of the window, and clips that have not yet

been imported are indicated with a yellow icon .

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TIP
● If you want to use clips from a folder on your computer, right-click the left
pane of the Device Explorer window and choose BROWSE from the shortcut
menu.
● In order for some devices to appear in the Device Explorer window, you may
need to change the device's USB Connect setting from AUTOMATIC or MTP to
MASS STORAGE.

Previewing clips

Select your camera on the left side of the Device Explorer window. The camera's clips are
displayed on the right side of the window, and clips that have not yet been imported are

indicated with a yellow icon .

If the AUTO PREVIEW button is selected, you can click a clip in the Device Explorer to

audition it. You can stop the preview by clicking the STOP PREVIEW button , or you can
turn off the preview feature by deselecting the AUTO PREVIEW button.

TIP Video is previewed in the Trimmer window. If you want to preview in the Video Pre-
view window, right-click the Trimmer window and deselect the SHOW VIDEO MONITOR

command. For more information, see Using the Trimmer (p. 314)

When the AUTO PREVIEW button is not selected, click the START PREVIEW button to
start preview.

Choosing the folder where you want to import clips

1. Select your camera on the left side of the Device Explorer window and click the

DEVICE PROPERTIES button .

The Device Properties dialog is displayed, and the CAPTURE FOLDER box dis-
plays the path to the folder where imported clips will be saved.

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2. Click the BROWSE button to display the Capture Folders dialog. This dialog lists
the available folders for saving your imported video:
● Select a folder's checkbox to save your imported video in that folder.

● Click the ADD FOLDER button and browse to a folder to add a new folder.

●
Select a folder in the list and click the REMOVE FOLDER button to
remove it from the list.

Importing clips

1. Select your camera on the left side of the Device Explorer window. The camera's
clips are displayed on the right side of the window, and clips that have not yet

been imported are indicated with a yellow icon .

2. Click the IMPORT ALL NEW CLIPS button to import clips to the Project Media
window:
● If clips are selected in the Device Explorer window, only the selected clips
are imported (you can hold Ctrl while clicking to select multiple clips).
● If no clips are selected in the Device Explorer window, all new clips are impor-
ted.

TIP Right-click a clip in the Device Explorer window and choose OPEN IN
TRIMMER or IMPORT AND ADD TO PROJECT to choose how you want to
import clips.

3. You can then use the Project Media window to organize your clips and add the

imported video to your project just like any other media file. For more inform-
ation, see Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

For more information, see Working with AVCHD video (p. 178) and Working
with RED camera clips (p. 176)

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NOTE 5.1-channel audio will be downmixed to stereo when importing into a stereo pro-
ject. When importing into a 5.1 surround project, audio will be added to separate tracks
for the center, front, rear, and LFE channels.

TIP You can also drag a clip from the Device Explorer directly to the Project Media win-
dow, Trimmer, or timeline. VEGAS Pro begins importing the clip when you release the
mouse, and an event is created on the timeline when importing is finished.

Importing video from a DVD camcorder

From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose DVD CAMCORDER DISC from the
submenu to import video from a finalized Sony DVD Handycam® camcorder disc.

NOTE
● Before importing video, you'll need to finalize the disc. For information about
finalizing a disc, please refer to your camcorder's documentation.
● 5.1-channel audio will be downmixed to stereo when importing into a stereo
project. When importing into a 5.1 surround project, audio will be added to sep-
arate tracks for the center, front, rear, and LFE channels.

1. Place the DVD you want to import in your computer's DVD drive or connect your
camcorder to your computer via USB.

IMPORTANT The Sony Handycam USB driver that is included with DVD-based
camcorders can prevent VEGAS Pro from recognizing a USB-connected cam-
era. If you use the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel to uninstall the "Sony
DVD Handycam USB driver" component, VEGAS Pro will be able connect to the
camera and import video.

2. From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose DVD CAMCORDER DISC
from the submenu. The Import DVD Camcorder Disc dialog is displayed.

3. From the SOURCE drop-down list, choose the disc that contains the video you
want to import.

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4. The DESTINATION box displays the folder where the video will be imported. The
folder name is based on the disc's volume label.
Click the BROWSE button if you want to choose a different folder.

5. Click the OK button to start importing video.

After importing is complete, the video from the disc is added to the Project Media
window. Each chapter is imported as a separate file.
You can then add the imported video to your project just like any other media file.

For more information, see Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

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Previewing your project

VEGAS® Pro provides two options for previewing your project: you can play back in the
VEGAS Pro window or prerender selected video frames for playback within the VEGAS Pro
window.

Using the Video Preview window

From the View menu, choose VIDEO PREVIEW to toggle the display of the Video Preview
window.

The Video Preview window displays a project's video output at the current cursor position
during editing and playback. The playback includes any effects that you have applied to it.
This window is also useful when editing frame by frame for synchronizing audio. Right-
click anywhere in the window to display a shortcut menu with Video Preview window
options.

1 Toolbar

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2 Transport Bar

3 Status Bar

Editing video properties for your project

Click the PROJECT VIDEO PROPERTIES button to display the Video tab in the Project
Properties dialog. Use this tab to adjust the video format of your project.

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

TIP
● Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox on the
PREVIEW DEVICE tab of the PREFERENCES dialog if you're rendering a
rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting from the Pro-
ject Properties dialog for previewing your project.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media
Properties setting, but the Video Preview output is unrotated—you can use
this setting to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96) and Preview
Device Tab (p. 1122)

Previewing on an external monitor

Click the VIDEO PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button to send your video output
to the device specified on the Preview Device tab of the Preferences dialog.

If you have not specified a device, the Preview Device tab will be displayed when you click
the VIDEO PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button.

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TIP Video is sent to the external monitor and the Video Preview window at the same
time. If you experience dropped frames, try clearing the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO
PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK checkbox on the Preview Device tab of the
Preferences dialog.

For more information, see Using an External Video Monitor (p. 203) and Preview
Device Tab (p. 1122)

Adding or bypassing video effects

Click the VIDEO OUTPUT FX button to apply an effect to every video event in your pro-
ject.

You can use the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button in the Video Preview window to create a
split-screen preview that bypasses all video effects (track effects, event effects, media
effects, and video output effects) without removing them from your project.

For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513) or Split-screen previews (p.
196)

You can right-click the button and choose a command from the shortcut menu to enable,
bypass, or delete effects.

For more information about using video effects, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

Adjusting the preview quality and resolution

Click the PREVIEW QUALITY button and choose a setting from the menu to change the
quality and resolution for rendering your video preview.

This setting is used for previewing only and has no effect on the final rendered video.
Decreasing the preview resolution can allow the VEGAS Pro Video Preview window to dis-
play a higher frame rate, especially for complex projects that contain overlays, transitions,
and effects.

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The AUTO setting will adjust the frame size to fit the Video Preview window size. The FULL
setting processes frames at the project frame size. The HALF setting processes frames at
half the project frame size. The QUARTER setting processes frames at one-quarter of the
project's frame size. For example, if you have an NTSC (720x480) project, HALF creates a
360x240 preview; QUARTER creates a 180x120 preview.

TIP Choosing a QUARTER or HALF setting can improve playback performance, espe-
cially when previewing high-definition source material.

If you want to display square pixels in the Video Preview window even if the PIXEL ASPECT
RATIO setting in the Project Properties dialog is using nonsquare pixels (DV), right-click
the display and choose SIMULATE DEVICE ASPECT RATIO from the shortcut menu.

If you want the preview to fill the Video Preview window, right-click the display and choose
SCALE TO FIT PREVIEW WINDOW from the shortcut menu.

TIP
● If you want to emphasize frame rate during preview, right-click the Video Pre-
view window and select ADJUST SIZE AND QUALITY FOR OPTIMAL
PLAYBACK. When the command is not selected, video quality is emphasized,
and the frame rate will be reduced if necessary.
● Try setting the preview quality to PREVIEW | FULL and enabling SCALE TO FIT
PREVIEW WINDOW.

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Item Description

The PREVIEW indicator in the Video Preview window represents the set-
Preview
ting of the VIDEO PREVIEW QUALITY button.

The DISPLAY indicator represents the current playback properties. If

you're using an AUTO setting for preview quality, this indicator will rep-
Display
resent the scaled frame size. If your video preview is dropping frames,
you'll see the actual frame rate in this section.

Using Video Preview overlays (safe areas, grid, closed cap-

tions, and color channel isolation)

Click the down arrow next to the OVERLAYS button and choose a setting from the
menu to configure the display of the Video Preview menu.

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Click the OVERLAYS button to toggle between a standard preview and the selected pre-
view mode.

TIP Overlay settings from the Video Preview window are also applied to the video mon-
itor in the Trimmer window.

Preview
Description
Mode

Choose GRID to display vertical and horizontal lines over your video.
You can use the grid to help you align objects.
Grid Set the grid spacing using the HORIZONTAL GRID DIVISIONS and
VERTICAL GRID DIVISIONS settings on the Video tab in the Prefer-
ences dialog.

The Video Preview window displays the entire video frame, although
most television monitors will not display all of this data. Choose
SAFE AREAS to display borders around your video to represent the
visible areas for action and titles. The outer border marks the area
that will be visible on a television screen, and the inner border is the
suggested area for titles.
Safe Areas
After verifying that your action and titles are within the safe areas,
however, you should test your project on the destination television
monitor.

Set the grid spacing using the ACTION SAFE AREA and TITLE SAFE
AREA settings on the Video tab in the Preferences dialog.

If you're working with a video that contains closed captions, you can
preview your captions by using overlays in the Video Preview win-
dow.
Closed Cap-
Select CC1, CC2, CC3, or CC4 to turn on the caption type that you
tioning
want to preview.
CC1/2/3/4

For more information, see Adding closed captioning to video

files (p. 774)

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Preview
Description
Mode

Choose a color channel to select the specific channel to be isolated

and whether the channel should be displayed in grayscale only.
Color Chan-
nel Isolation TIP Use the ALPHA AS GRAYSCALE setting to isolate the Alpha
channel mask and display it in grayscale.

Switches the Preview window into a special 360° mode to inter-

360° mode actively set the perspective when working with 360° video. For
more information, see The Video Preview window in 360° mode (p.
873).

Toggling multicamera editing mode

From the Tools menu, choose MULTICAMERA, and then choose ENABLE MULTICAMERA
EDITING to enable multicamera editing mode.

In multicamera editing mode, the Video Preview window switches into multicamera mode,
with a multicamera tiled view showing the contents of all takes simultaneously. The active
take is highlighted with a colored border.

For more information, see Editing multicamera video (p. 438)

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TIP When multicamera editing mode is active, video envelopes, effects, and motion are
bypassed in the Video Preview window to preserve your playback frame rate.

Copying the current frame to the clipboard

Click the COPY SNAPSHOT TO CLIPBOARD button to copy the current frame to the
clipboard.

You can change the size of the image using the PREVIEW QUALITY button: choose AUTO
or FULL to capture the frame at its full resolution, or choose HALF or QUARTER to capture
a smaller image.

Saving the current frame as a file

Click the SAVE SNAPSHOT TO FILE button to save the current frame as an image file.

You can change the size of the image using the PREVIEW QUALITY button: choose AUTO
or FULL to capture the frame at its full resolution, or choose HALF or QUARTER to capture
a smaller image.

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The Save Snapshot to File dialog is displayed to allow you to choose the format and loc-
ation where you want to save the file. The file is automatically added to the Project Media
window.

Mute All Audio or Video

● From the Options menu, choose MUTE ALL AUDIO to exclude all audio tracks from
playback.
● From the Options menu, choose MUTE ALL VIDEO to exclude all video tracks from
playback.

View or hide the status bar

Right-click the Video Preview window and choose SHOW STATUS BAR to toggle the dis-
play of the status bar at the bottom of the window.

Command Description

Displays the frame size, color bit depth, and frame rate from the
Video tab in the Project Properties dialog.
Project

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

Displays the frame size, color bit depth, and frame rate that will be
used for previewing.
Preview
Right-click the Video Preview window and select DISPLAY AT
PROJECT SIZE if you want to preview only using the project settings.

Frame Displays the number of the current frame.

Displays the current frame size, color bit depth, and frame rate of
your preview.

If you are unable to preview at the full frame rate, decrease the
Display
VIDEO PREVIEW QUALITY setting or use dynamic RAM previews.

For more information, see Using dynamic RAM previews (p. 200)

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Viewing or hiding the transport bar

Right-click the Video Preview window and choose SHOW TRANSPORT BAR to toggle the
display of the transport bar at the bottom of the window.

Button Description

This button starts recording on all armed tracks. If no tracks

are armed, a new track will be created automatically.
Record

For more information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

Plays only the events in the loop region in a continuous

Loop Playback
mode.

Starts playback from the beginning of the project regard-

Play from Start less of the current cursor position. When you stop play-
back, the cursor returns to its original position.

Play Starts playback from the cursor position.

Pauses playback and leaves the cursor at its current pos-

Pause
ition.

Stops playback or recording and returns the cursor to its

Stop
starting position.

Go to Start Moves the cursor to the beginning of the project.

Go to End Moves the cursor to the end of the project.

Moves the cursor one frame to the left.

Previous Frame TIP Click and hold the PREVIOUS FRAME and NEXT
FRAME buttons to move the cursor multiple frames.

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Button Description

Next Frame Moves the cursor one frame to the right.

Select the button if you want the F12 and spacebar key-
board shortcuts to toggle between Play and Pause mode. In
this mode, the Pause command ends project playback, but
leaves the timeline cursor at the location it is at when you
pause playback.

In its default configuration, the Spacebar initiates project

Spacebar playback if it is not playing and stops playback if it is
Switch already playing. The Stop command ends project playback
and returns the timeline cursor to the point it started at
when you played the project.

Play/Stop Play/Pause

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TIP

To access additional buttons click the More button and click the button you wish to
access.

To add a button to the Transport Toolbar:

1. Click the More button.

2. Click EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET.

3. Check the box next to the button to you would like to add, and click OK.
The button will now be visible each time you open the application.

To remove a button from the Toolbar:

1. Click the More button.

2. Click EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET.

3. Uncheck the box next to the button to you would like to remove, and click OK.

Split-screen previews

Click the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button in the Video Preview window to turn split-screen
previews on or off.

Split-screen previews allow you to split the Video Preview window so you can see your
affected and unaffected video or your video and the contents of the clipboard at the same
time. Use split-screen previews to fine-tune video effects or to match colors for color cor-
rection.

TIP You can use split-screen previews to help match colors between clips. When the
split-screen preview mode is set to CLIPBOARD, the Video Preview and Video Scopes

windows will display the frame you copied to the clipboard and the current frame.
For more information, see Monitoring video with scopes (p. 853)

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NOTE The Video Preview window temporarily enters split-screen preview mode when
you perform one of the following edits: event slip, event slip-trim, event slide, or cross-
fade/transition slide. This temporary split-screen mode allows you to see the event's
first and last frame as you trim. You can toggle this preview mode by selecting or

deselecting the VIDEO EVENT EDGE FRAMES command on the View menu. For
more information, see Adjusting an event's length (p. 327) and Slipping and sliding
events (p. 336)

Showing affected and unprocessed video

1. Click the down arrow next to the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button and choose FX
BYPASSED from the menu.

2. Select the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button . The cursor is displayed as a .

3. Choose a preset selection or drag in the Video Preview section to create a selec-
tion. This selection will display the unprocessed video. In the following example,
the Add Noise plug-in was applied to the event, and the selection displays the ori-
ginal video.

TIP Double-click in the Video Preview window to select the full window, or drag again
to replace the existing selection.

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Showing the video at the cursor position and the contents of the
clipboard

1. Position the cursor on the timeline and click the COPY SNAPSHOT button in
the Video Preview window to copy a frame to the clipboard.

2. Position the cursor at another point on the timeline.

3. Click the down arrow next to the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button and choose
CLIPBOARD from the menu.

4. Select the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button .

5. Choose a preset selection or drag in the Video Preview section to create a selec-
tion. This selection will display the contents of the clipboard. In the following
example, the snowscape is the current cursor position, and the kayak paddler was
copied to the clipboard.

TIP Double-click in the Video Preview window to select the full window, or drag again
to replace the existing selection.

Changing the selection for displaying split-screen previews

Click the down arrow next to the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button and choose SELECT
RIGHT HALF, SELECT LEFT HALF, or SELECT ALL to indicate which portion of the Video
Preview Window you want to use to display unprocessed video or the contents of the

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clipboard.

When the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button is selected, the cursor is displayed as a . Drag
a rectangle in the Video Preview window to create a custom selection.

Retaining the split-screen preview settings

The Split-Screen View setting in the preview window is not persisted between launches of
VEGAS Pro by default.

If you would like to persist this setting for further sessions,click the down arrow next to

the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button and choose RETAIN SPLIT SCREEN SETTING from
the menu.

Loop Playback
From the Options menu, choose LOOP PLAYBACK to repeatedly play back a section of
your project.

1. Drag the cursor to make a timeline selection (or hold down the Shift key and use
the arrow keys to make the selection).

2. From the Options menu, choose LOOP PLAYBACK, or click the LOOP PLAYBACK

button .

When Loop Playback is off, the loop region is gray. When Loop Playback is on, the

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loop region is blue.

Loop Playback = Off Loop Playback = On

3. Click the PLAY button to hear your selection looped.

Using dynamic RAM previews

When your project includes compositing and complex video effects, you may not be able to
preview your project at its full frame rate.

If you prefer not to prerender your project, you can dedicate a portion of your RAM to
cache video frames that cannot be rendered in real time.

Setting up your cache

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the VIDEO tab.

2. Enter a value in the DYNAMIC RAM PREVIEW (MAX) box to set the amount of RAM
that you want to dedicate to video previews.

NOTE The maximum size of the RAM cache is displayed to the right of the con-
trol. If you reserve excessive amounts of RAM for your RAM cache, per-
formance may decrease.

3. Click OK.

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Building the preview from a selection

1. Select the region that contains the frames you want to cache.

2. From the Tools menu, choose BUILD DYNAMIC RAM PREVIEW (or press Shift+B).
Each frame in the selection is rendered.

NOTE Click anywhere in the timeline to cancel.

3. After rendering is finished, click PLAY . The cached video will play back at the
frame rate specified on the Video tab of the Project Properties dialog.

NOTE If your RAM cache is not large enough to contain the entire selection,
the selection is automatically adjusted to include only the cached region. You
can increase the DYNAMIC RAM PREVIEW MAX setting on the Video tab of the
Preferences dialog to increase the size of the cache.

Clearing dynamic RAM preview

During the course of your work in a project, you may have a significant amount of system
RAM devoted to the Dynamic RAM Preview function. Whether you’ve purposely loaded
frames into your RAM by manually building a dynamic RAM preview section or frames have
been loaded in automatically, you may find times when you want to clear all frames from
this function.
● In the main menu, choose TOOLS | CLEAR DYNAMIC RAM PREVIEW.

This flushes all frames from your RAM and frees that memory for other uses.

Zooming and Panning in the Video Preview Window

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The user can now zoom into and out of the Video Preview window. This helps especially to
see the details of an object while working with the Bèzier Masking tools, seeing fine details

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of color grading adjustments, and many other uses. The user can zoom into any target area
of the video preview window and scroll the zoomed view to see different areas without
first zooming back out.

NOTE This feature affects only your Video Preview. With this, you are not actually cre-
ating a zoom edit in your video. If you want that type of edit, use the Picture in Picture
OFX plug-in. If you render your project while you’ve zoomed into or out of your Video
Preview window, that zoom setting will have no effect on your render—the project will
still render at 100% zoom level (normal zoom).

Using Preview Zoom

● To zoom in for a closer look:

Click the ZOOM VIDEO PREVIEW button and choose a zoom level from the drop-
down list.
● To increase your zoom level up or down:

Use the + or - options to increase or decrease the zoom level by five percent.
● To toggle quickly between the current zoom setting and 100% zoom:

Select BYPASS ZOOM .

Zooming with keyboard shortcuts

The keyboard shortcuts for accessing these zoom options using the computer's number
pad.
● Increase by 5%:Ctrl+Num+

● Decrease by 5%: Ctrl+Num-

● Bypass zoom: Ctrl+Shift+Num1

Zooming with mouse wheel

● Point your mouse to the Video Preview window and roll the mouse wheel away

from you to zoom in.

● Roll the mouse wheel towards you to zoom back out.

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● Double-click the Video Preview window with the mouse's scroll wheel to instantly

reset the zoom to 100%.

Panning in the Preview

● Zoom in on a specific object or area by pointing to it in the Video Preview window.

● Click and hold the mouse wheel to pan through the video.

● Drag the mouse to move the preview and explore different areas.

Adjusting Zoom Speed

● Hold the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheel to adjust the zoom speed.

● With Ctrl held, each step of the mouse wheel will adjust the zoom by only 1%
instead of the default 10%.

Using an External Video Monitor

External video preview allows you to reclaim valuable real estate in the VEGAS Pro window,
check colors and safe areas on a broadcast monitor, or just view a full-screen preview of
your project.

TIP
If you want to preview on your external monitor and in the Video Preview window at the
same time, select the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING
PLAYBACK checkbox on the Preview Device tab of the Preferences dialog.

For more information, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185) and Preview
Device Tab (p. 1122)

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NOTE
● VEGAS Pro allows you to use one external video device at a time. The external
monitor display will be unavailable during video capture.
● When using an external video monitor, you need to enable external-monitor
preview each time you start VEGAS Pro. This change was made to prevent the
possibility of hiding the main VEGAS Pro window behind the secondary display
when monitors are improperly configured.

External monitor via DVI (Windows Graphics Card)

If your Windows desktop is extended across multiple displays, you can use one of those
displays to preview the timeline with no A/V synchronization drift — perfect for ADR and
Foley work.

IMPORTANT If you intend to deliver your project in an interlaced format, previewing on

a computer monitor is not a substitute for previewing on an interlaced broadcast mon-
itor.

Preview requirements:
● A multiple-output graphics card that supports 3D acceleration (or multiple graph-
ics cards: you could install AGP and PCI video cards in your system, for example).
You can also use the Windows Graphics Card device on a computer with a single
monitor. When you enable the external monitor, the video preview will fill your
screen.
● A CRT, LCD, or projector connected to your computer's secondary video output.

If you have a video card with DVI outputs, you can use a DVI-to-HDMI converter to
connect to an HDMI monitor.
● The EXTEND MY WINDOWS DESKTOP ONTO THIS MONITOR checkbox must be
selected on the Windows settings tab of the Display Properties dialog (Windows |
Start | Settings | Control Panel | Display).

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NOTE
● VEGAS Pro allows you to use one external video device at a time. The external
monitor display will be unavailable during video capture.
● When using an external video monitor, you need to enable external-monitor
preview each time you start VEGAS Pro. This change was made to prevent the
possibility of hiding the main VEGAS Pro window behind the secondary display
when monitors are improperly configured.

1. Use the Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog to configure the display you
want to use as a video preview monitor.

For more information, see Preview Device Tab (p. 1122)

2. Select the PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button in the Video Preview win-
dow.
You can turn off external preview by pressing Alt+Shift+4 or by clicking the sec-
ondary display and pressing Esc.

TIP Video is sent to your secondary display and the Video Preview window at
the same time. If you experience dropped frames, try clearing the DISPLAY
FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK checkbox on the
Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog.

External monitor via SDI

You can send video directly from the timeline to a video monitor connected to an SDI card.

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IMPORTANT
Supported Blackmagic Design devices:
● DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G, 4K Pro, 4K Extreme, Studio 4K, SDI 4K, HD Extreme,
Extreme 3D, Mini Monitor, and Mini Recorder.
● Intensity Shuttle, Pro 4K, and Pro.

● UltraStudio 4K Extreme, 4K, Pro, SDI, Express, Mini Monitor, and Mini
Recorder.

Supported AJA devices: AJA Io 4K, KONA 3X, LH, LHe, LHi, LS, and LSe. Please note

that AJA XENA cards are now branded as KONA cards. For more information, see
http://www.aja.com/products/kona/transition.php.

NOTE
● VEGAS Pro allows you to use one external video device at a time. The external
monitor display will be unavailable during video capture.
● When using an external video monitor, you need to enable external-monitor
preview each time you start VEGAS Pro. This change was made to prevent the
possibility of hiding the main VEGAS Pro window behind the secondary display
when monitors are improperly configured.

1. Use the Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog to configure your SDI card.

For more information, see Preview Device Tab (p. 1122)

2. Select the PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button in the Video Preview win-
dow.
You can turn off external preview by pressing Alt+Shift+4.

TIP Video is sent to the external monitor and the Video Preview window at the
same time. If you experience dropped frames, try clearing the DISPLAY
FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK checkbox on the
Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog.

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Creating proxy files for high-definition editing

If you're working on a system with limited processing power, creating a proxy file will
streamline the editing process and allow you to preview your project.

NOTE Video proxy files are not used for rendering your project.

1. Capture or import your high-definition clips.

2. Start a new project.

3. Add your high-definition clips to the Project Media window.

4. Right-click the clips in the Project Media window and choose CREATE VIDEO
PROXY from the shortcut menu.
VEGAS Pro creates video proxy files (.sfvp0) alongside the original files in Win-
dows Explorer. You will not see these files in the Project Media window or VEGAS
Pro Explorer.

TIP Proxy files are created automatically when working with 4K video.

5. Add your high-definition clips to the timeline and edit your project as usual.
The PREVIEW QUALITY setting in the Video Preview window determines whether
the proxy files or original files are used for editing and preview:
● When the preview quality is set to DRAFT or PREVIEW, the proxy file is used.

● When the preview quality is set to GOOD or BEST, the original file is used.

For more information, see Adjusting the preview quality and resolution (p.
187)

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Selectively prerender video

From the TOOLS menu, choose SELECTIVELY PRERENDER VIDEO to render temporary
preview files for the sections of your project that cannot be rendered in real time. These
temporary preview files are used when you play back that section of the project.

When you perform a selective prerender, a separate preview file is created for each sec-
tion of your project that needs to be prerendered. Sections that contain transitions,
effects, and compositing will need to be prerendered; unprocessed DV media files will not.

TIP Selective prerendering is helpful when previewing on an external monitor. For

more information, see Using an External Video Monitor (p. 203)

1. Select the area of your project that you want to preview. If there is no time selec-
tion, the entire project will be used.

2. From the TOOLS menu, choose SELECTIVELY PRERENDER VIDEO. The Prer-
ender Video dialog appears.

3. Choose a template from the TEMPLATE drop-down list to specify the parameters
that should be used for rendering your file, or click the CUSTOM button to create a

new template. For more information, see Custom rendering templates (p.
1044)

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NOTE
● Select the STRETCH VIDEO TO FILL OUTPUT FRAME SIZE (DO NOT
LETTERBOX) checkbox when you are rendering to an output format with
a slightly different aspect ratio than your project settings. This will pre-
vent black bars from appearing on the top and bottom or the sides of the
output.
● Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if
you're rendering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT
ROTATION setting from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered
file.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its
Media Properties setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use

this setting to proof your project on an unrotated display. For more

information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)
● You'll need to choose a rendering template that inserts fields to create a
standard DV file if your project properties are set to 24p or if you selec-
ted the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P DV check-
box on the General tab of the Preferences dialog. Use the NTSC DV 24P
(INSERTING 2-3-3-2 PULLDOWN) template if you intend to use the file on
the VEGAS Pro timeline.
If you cleared the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P
DV checkbox before adding your media and your project properties are
not set to 24p, your 24p video is read as 29.97 fps interlaced video (60i),
so you can choose whichever NTSC DV or PAL DV template suits your
project requirements.

4. Click the RENDER button. The rendering process begins and a progress box
appears. When completed, a bar appears at the top of the timeline to indicate
each rendered section.

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NOTE Each prerendered section will consist of no more than 300 frames (approx-
imately 40 megabytes). Because selective prerendering creates multiple files, minor
editing on the timeline will not invalidate all of your prerendered video—only the sec-
tions you modify will need to be rerendered.

Cleaning up prerendered video files

From the Tools menu, choose CLEAN UP PRERENDERED VIDEO to delete the temporary

files created as a result of using the SELECTIVELY PRERENDER VIDEO command. For
more information, see Selectively prerender video (p. 208)

Use the CLEAN UP PRERENDERED VIDEO dialog to specify which prerendered files
should be deleted: you can remove only inactive files (files for media that is no longer used
on the timeline), all prerendered files, or all prerendered files within a time selection.

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VEGAS Hub
The VEGAS Hub is the centralized platform, designed to enhance your video editing work-
flow by providing easy access to cloud storage, mobile app integration, stock media, and
more.

NOTE Some features, including cloud file storage, require a VEGAS Pro 365 or VEGAS
Post 365 subscription.

My Profile Manage your account information.

What’s new Stay updated with the latest product updates.

Browse and utilize audio and video for your projects.

Stock Media
For more information, see Adding Stock Content (p. 212)

Learn Access tutorials to improve your skills.

Example Projects Engage in hands-on learning with an example project.

Expansion Packs Explore and add third-party add-ons.

Community Connect with forums and help resources.

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Social Stay connected with the latest social updates.

NOTE Some features of VEGAS Hub are in beta and may not work as expected or be
fully implemented. New content and functionality will be continually added to VEGAS
Hub as its development continues.

How to use VEGAS Hub

1. Click the VEGAS HUB LOGIN button in the main toolbar and log in with your MAGIX
account.

2. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VEGAS HUB to open the VEGAS Hub window.
The home screen of the VEGAS Hub window contains buttons for the various avail-
able features. To access a feature, click the corresponding button.

Adding Stock Content

VEGAS Content gives VEGAS Pro 365 & VEGAS Post 365 subscribers access to nearly a
million stock music tracks and video clips. You can use these clips royalty free in any
VEGAS Pro project.

How to access to VEGAS Content

1. Click the VEGAS Hub Login button to access VEGAS Hub.

2. In the VEGAS HUB window, click the STOCK MEDIA button to open the content
browser.

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NOTE
You require a subscription to download content.

For more information on subscriptions, please visit our website: https://www.ve-

gascreativesoftware.com/

Search for content

There are several options for searching for specific content and filtering the results.

1. Click the Media Type drop-down list and choose the type of content--audio or
video--that you want to preview.

2. Enter a search term in the field and click Enter or the SEARCH button to start the
search.

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TIP
● Click the magnifying glass in the empty search field to filter all content.

● You can enter BPM values for audio files and pixel size for video files so
that only files with a specific tempo or resolution appear in the search res-
ults.

3. You can narrow your search results further according to:

● Content type

● Details

● Duration (minimum and maximum length)

● Frame rate (video only)

● Genres (audio only)

● Moods (audio only)

● Instruments (audio only)

● BPM (audio only)

4. Click on the house icon to return to the start page.

Displaying and using content

Show preview

● To preview an audio file, click its waveform. The file begins to play automatically.

● To preview a video file, double-click the video thumbnail. Click the Play button.

Download content

1. Click the DOWNLOAD button and the file format and resolution from the list that
you want to download.

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2. Close the window once downloading is complete.

To find your downloaded files, open the HUB EXPLORER window.

TIP
Add content directly to the timeline or Project Media

The ADD TO PROJECT MEDIA button enables you to download the file and add it dir-
ectly into your Project Media list so that it becomes part of your existing project.

The INSERT ON TIMELINE button also downloads the file and adds it to your Project
Media list, but in addition, it adds it to the timeline of your project where you can
instantly begin to edit it.

IMPORTANT The EULA that you agreed to when installing VEGAS Pro has the details
for what you can and cannot do with the stock footage available via VEGAS Content.
Please refer to it regarding any copyright disputes that may arise from the use of this
content on social media sites.

Favorites
Add content to favorites

If, while browsing the content library, you come across files you like or want to use for
future projects, you can mark them as favorites. This feature is particularly useful if you
have already exceeded your download quota or if you want to pre-select content before
downloading the files.

» Click the star symbol to mark the content as a favorite.

Show favorites

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» Click on the star in the search box to view all your saved favorites.

Show downloads
You can view all the content you have downloaded here:
● Click on the download icon in the search box to open the list.

- or -
● Hub Explorer | VEGAS Content Downloads

VEGAS Hub Explorer

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The VEGAS Hub Explorer window shows you a list of collections and enables you to quickly
and easily transfer video from your cloud storage (uploaded from your mobile device) or
the VEGAS Content library to your VEGAS Pro projects.

● Mobile Uploads

This collection shows the content of your VEGAS Hub cloud storage.
Mobile Uploads - VEGAS Hub App (p. 218)

● VEGAS Content Downloads

This collection contains all of the files that you have downloaded from the VEGAS
Content database through the VEGAS Hub window. After you download them,
these files exist only on your local drive. You can upload any of these files to your
cloud storage.
Adding Stock Content (p. 212)

● Media Share

Share your media files or collections with other people.

Media Share (p. 221)

● VEGAS Projects

Organize and manage multiple project files and associated media within a single,
easily accessible folder.
Automatic project collections (p. 228)

Hub Explorer Toolbar

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Additional controls at the top-right of the Hub Explorer window (shown above) enable you
to set your file download location, play and stop file preview, enable or disable auto-play,
refresh your window, and customize your layout.

Mobile Uploads - VEGAS Hub App

You can transfer video files from your mobile device directly to VEGAS Pro via your VEGAS
Hub cloud storage.

» Install the VEGAS Hub app from the Google Play or Apple App Store onto your mobile
device.

Google Play Store Apple App Store

Link Link

1 Using the app

1. Open the app on your mobile device and login with your MAGIX account inform-
ation.
If you’ve already uploaded files from your device to your VEGAS Hub cloud stor-
age, the app lists them for you.
If you have not uploaded any files, a message lets you know that your storage is
empty.
At the bottom of the app screen, a counter shows how much of your cloud storage
space is currently in use. The amount of cloud storage you have depends on the
VEGAS 365 package you have subscribed to. VEGAS Pro 365 comes with 50GB of
cloud storage. VEGAS Post 365 comes with 100GB of cloud storage.

2. Tap the + UPLOAD button to upload a file.

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You may have to grant the app permissions to access the media files stored on
your device before you can choose a file to upload.

3. Navigate to the location on your device that holds your files and tap the ones you
want to upload.

4. When you’ve selected all the files you want to upload, tap the DONE link. This
uploads the files from your device into your VEGAS Hub cloud storage.

FIGURE VEGAS Mobile App

2 Back in VEGAS Pro

1. Open the Hub Explorer window.

2. Use your MAGIX credentials to log in if you haven’t already done so.

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3. Click the MOBILE UPLOADS collection in the Collections list. This collection shows
all the files you have uploaded to your VEGAS Hub cloud storage and includes the
files you just uploaded from your device.

Your new files have a cloud icon . This indicates that the files exist only in your
cloud storage and have not been downloaded to your local drive.

4. Right-click a file and choose SYNC from the context menu. This downloads the file
to your local drive. When the download completes, the file has a checkmark to
indicate that it exists both on your cloud storage and on your local drive. Now that
you have it locally, you can use any of the normal methods to add it to your VEGAS
Pro timeline and work with it.

Remove a file from your local drive or your cloud storage

» Right-click a file and choose REMOVE from the context menu.

VEGAS Hub File:

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This removes the file from your VEGAS Hub cloud storage and you now see a folder icon
that indicates the file only exits locally.

» Right-click the file again and choose SYNC from the context menu. This uploads the file
back to your cloud storage again and once the upload finishes, you see the checkmark icon
again.

Media Share
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The Media Share feature in VEGAS Pro simplifies the process of quickly gathering media
from your collaborators, regardless of their location. It consolidates the Quick Upload and
File Drop operations of previous versions of the VEGAS Hub Explorer into one central loc-
ation. This functionality not only makes it easier to transfer files to the project editor but
also enables efficient management and access to media. By utilizing the VEGAS Hub stor-
age space, you can share your media collection, enable viewing, or quickly download files
for use in your projects.

EXAMPLE
● Collaborative Editing:

Share media files with team members for collective editing or review.
● Client Review:

Allow clients to view and download media files for approval or feedback.
● Gathering Media:

Invite contributors to upload media files directly into your project.

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Manage your Media Share Collection

Create a Media Share Collection

1. Click the HUB EXPLORER tab to bring that window forward.

2. In the list at the left, click the CREATE NEW MEDIA SHARE BUTTON at the Media
Share collection set.

3. In the CREATE NEW MEDIA SHARE dialog box, enter a name for your Media Share
and click OK.
Your new Media Share collection appears in the list.

Configure your Media Share Collection

Open the MANAGE MEDIA SHARE dialog

1. Point to the name of your Media Share collection in the HUB EXPLORER window.

2. Click the MANAGE MEDIA SHARE button to open the MEDIA SHARE dialog.

If you are not yet logged into your VEGAS Hub account, you’ll be prompted to do
so before you can continue.

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Add participants

Three methods are available to add participates. These participates may be set to only
download and view the collection or they may be set to upload media.

1 Create and copy a link

1. In the QUICK VIEW & UPLOAD LINKS section, select whether your attendee will be
able to view and download only or upload as well.

2. In the drop-down list, set the expiration period for how long the link will be valid.

3. Click the CREATE LINK button.

4. Click the COPY icon to copy the link to the clipboard and share it with your par-
ticipants.

2 Create a link and scan a QR code

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1. In the QUICK VIEW & UPLOAD LINKS section, select whether your attendee will be
able to view and download only or upload as well.

2. In the drop-down list, set the expiration period for how long the link will be valid.

3. Click the CREATE LINK button.

4. Click the QR CODE icon to display a QR code that can be scanned with a mobile
device.

3 Send an invitation

1. In the INVITATIONS section, click the NEW INVITATION button.

2. In the upper drop-down list, select whether your attendee will be able to view and
download only or upload as well.

3. In the lower drop-down list, set the expiration period for how long the link will be
valid.

4. Enter name and mail address of the participant you want to invite to your Media
Share session.

NOTE It’s important to note that the users you invite do not have to have
access to their own VEGAS Hub account. In fact, they don’t even need to be
users of VEGAS Pro at all. All they need is an internet connection and a con-
nected device that holds their files. That device can be a computer, a tablet, a
mobile device, and so on. And that device can be running on any operating sys-
tem, so you can collect files from collaborators on a Mac just as easily as on a
Windows machine or an Android mobile device. All that matters is that the
device is connected and has access to the files they want to upload.

5. Click the SEND INVITATION button.

VEGAS Pro automatically sends an email message to the address you entered.
That email message includes a link to your Media Share. Once the collaborator fol-
lows that link, they will have the opportunity to view or upload files.
You can add as many collaborators to the Media Share event as you want to.

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Enable Notifications

If you want to receive an automatically generated email when files have been uploaded to
your Media Share:

» Select the TELL ME WHEN FILES HAVE BEEN UPLOADED checkbox.

Remove a participant

» Click the cross button in the MEDIA SHARE dialog.

Delete a Media Share Collection

1. Point to the name of your Media Share Collection in the HUB EXPLORER window.

2. Click the MORE button | REMOVE.

Manage Files

Upload Files

The Upload Files function (formerly Quick Upload) enables you to upload files from your
computer or other device to your VEGAS Hub Media Share collections. This makes it pos-
sible to quickly upload files to your Hub storage for a cloud back up of your media, or so
that you can then download them to another computer so you can use them in your VEGAS
projects.

» In the HUB EXPLORER window, point to your Media Share collection and then click the
UPLOAD FILE TO CLOUD button. The UPLOAD FILES dialog box opens.

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Upload files from your computer

1. Switch to Windows Explorer and navigate to a file that contains the media you
want to upload.

2. Drag a file from your Windows Explorer folder onto the Drop Files target area.
Notice that the file has been added to the Upload queue.

3. Click inside the file target area.

4. In the Open dialog, browse to the folder that holds your media, select the media
file, and click Open. This file has also been added to the Upload queue.

5. When you’ve added all the files you want to upload from your computer, click the
UPLOAD FILES button.

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Upload files from your mobile devices

1. Open the camera app on your mobile device and point the camera at the QR code
in the Upload Files dialog box.

2. Follow the instructions on your mobile device to go to the URL supplied by the QR
code.
This opens your device’s Internet browser and points to a page that enables you
to add files to your upload queue just as you did on your computer.

3. Tap the Drag Files area and navigate to the location on your device that holds the
media you want to upload.

4. Tap the media to add it to the Upload queue.

5. When you’re finished, tap the UPLOAD FILES button.

Once your files are uploaded to your VEGAS Hub, you will see the files in your Hub
Explorer window inside VEGAS Pro.

Download and Sync Files for Use

Once you or your collaborators have uploaded files through the Media Share system, those
files are automatically added to your Media Share collection.

Click the REFRESH COLLECTION VIEW button in the toolbar of the HUB EXPLORER
window to see all of the files that have been uploaded to the Media Share.

Before you can add them to your VEGAS Pro project, you’ll need to synchronize your hub
collection files and bring them down locally.

The uploaded files have cloud icons before their names. As usual, this indicates that
the files are stored only in your VEGAS Hub storage.

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» Right-click the file in the HUB EXPLORER window and choose SYNC from the context
menu.

After a few moments, the file download completes and the blue checkmark icon shows
that the file now resides both locally and on your VEGAS Hub storage.

Delete files

To delete a file from either your local collection or your VEGAS Hub storage:

» Right-click the thumbnail and choose the appropriate REMOVE option from the context
menu.

NOTE Keep in mind that this removes the actual file itself from your hard drive, not just
the reference in the Media Share collection, so be careful with this option.

Automatic project collections

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

NOTE This function only works if you are logged in to VEGAS Hub.

A Project collection organizes all of your project’s assets into a single view that you can eas-
ily access through the Hub Explorer window. These collections provide fast and easy
access to all of your projects and their associated files.

When you save your project, VEGAS Pro automatically creates a project collection, or
updates your existing collection. You can simply use this feature to organize your ongoing
projects, or you can create special projects that you use to organize your media files. For
instance, you could create a new project called “Sports cars” and import all of your sports
car footage into that project so you can easily access that media later.

Collections exist locally, so perpetual users as well as subscription users can take advant-
age of them. You can also create a local archive that includes copies of all of your project’s
assets.

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Organizing Projects with Automatic Project Collections

1. Start a new VEGAS project.

2. Add at least one audio or video file to your project.

You can add it directly to the timeline, or just import it into the Project Media win-
dow file list.

3. Save your project.

4. Click the Hub Explorer tab to bring that window to the front.

5. In the list of collections at the left, click the VEGAS Projects drop-down arrow.
The expanded list contains a new collection with the same name that you gave
your project.

6. Click the collection. In the media pane on the right, you see your VEG file and all of
the media files you’ve added to your project.

TIP
● You can access a project collection anytime to reuse media from one project in

another.
● To add media from a collection to a new project, drag the desired files into the

new project's timeline.

● To nest an entire project into a new project, drag the project's VEG file into the

new project's timeline.

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Archiving and Deleting:

● To create an archive of your project, right-click the collection name and choose
"Archive" from the context menu. Follow the Archive wizard to specify the para-
meters of your archive.
● To delete a project collection, right-click it in the list and choose "Remove" from
the context menu. This only removes the reference, not the actual files.

NOTE Keep in mind that you’re working just with an organizational tool here. When you
automatically create a project collection, you’re simply creating references to the pro-
ject and its media. It’s important to remember that you are not creating copies of any of
these files. Likewise, when you delete a collection, you’re merely deleting the reference
to the media and project file. You are not deleting any files from your system!

Disabling the Automatic Feature

● If you don't want to create or update a collection for the project you're working on:

Click the "Create Project Collection" toggle button to turn it off.

Existing collections will still be visible and accessible, but no new ones will be cre-
ated or updated.
● To enable the feature again, click the "Create Project Collection" toggle button.

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Video Editing

Editing Tool
Choose EDIT | EDITING TOOL and select a tool from the submenu to change the active
tool, or select the tool from the transport and editing toolbar.

For more information, see The Transport and Editing Toolbar (p. 51)

Tool Description

Use to select, move, and trim the ends of events.

Click an event to select it. Hold Ctrl while clicking to select

multiple events, or hold Shift to select all events between the
first and last event you click.

Select events and drag them along the timeline to move

them.

Drag either edge of an event to change its length. The event

edge will snap to grid lines if snapping is on. Hold the Shift
Normal Edit
key while dragging to temporarily suspend snapping.
Tool
MORE INFORMATION
● Enable snapping (p. 290)

● Creating selections and positioning the cursor (p.

240)
● Moving events (p. 280)

● Adjusting an event's length (p. 327)

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Tool Description

Use to rearrange events on the timeline.

For more information, see Shuffling events (p. 313)

Shuffle Tool TIP Right-click and drag an event to a new location on the
timeline and choose SHUFFLE EVENTS from the shortcut
menu to shuffle events when the Shuffle Tool is not act-
ive.

Use to slip an event's media without moving the event on the

timeline.

For more information, see Slipping and sliding events (p.

Slip Tool 336)

TIP Hold Alt while dragging an event to slip events when

the Slip Tool is not active.

Use to move an event on the timeline without moving the

underlying media.

For more information, see Slipping and sliding events (p.

Slide Tool 336)

TIP Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging an event to slide events

when the Slide Tool is not active.

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Tool Description

Use to make events longer or shorter while changing the velo-

city of the media to create fast- or slow-motion effects.

For more information, see Adjusting an event's length (p.

Time
327)
Stretch/Compress
Tool
TIP Hold Ctrl while dragging the edge of an event to time
stretch/compress events when the Time Stretch/Com-
press Tool is not active.

Use to split an event at the point you click and trim the event
in the direction you drag (eraser mode).

For more information, see Slipping and sliding events (p.

Split Trim Tool 336)

TIP Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift and drag to split trim events when

the Split Trim Tool is not active.

Normal

To use the Normal tool , choose EDITING TOOL from the EDIT menu, and choose
NORMAL from the submenu.

This tool gives you the most flexibility while editing; selection, project navigation, most
envelope editing, etc. The only functions you cannot perform while in normal editing mode
are box selection, box magnification, and multiple envelope point selection.

For more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)

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TIP
Instant access to the Selection Tool from the Normal Edit tool

Sometimes when you’re editing quickly, you need to select all of the events within a cer-
tain range of your timeline.

In order to quickly move to the Selection Edit tool without interrupting your workflow,
while still using the Normal Edit tool:

1. Click in your timeline and hold the left mouse button down.

2. While still holding the left mouse button down, click the right mouse button.
This switches you to the Selection Edit tool and you can quickly make a selec-
tion.
The Selection Edit tool opens in whatever of its three selection states you last
left if.

3. To scroll through the three selection states, repeatedly click the right mouse
button (while still holding the left button down).
This scrolls you through the free-selection, horizontal selection, and vertical
selection states.

4. Once you’ve made your selection, release the left mouse button and you
instantly return to the Normal Edit tool.

Selecting events

Click an event to select it. Hold Ctrl while clicking to select multiple events, or hold Shift to
select all events between the first and last event you click.

Moving events

Select events and drag them along the timeline.

Changing an event's length

Drag either edge of an event to change its length. The event edge will snap to grid lines if
snapping is on. Hold the Shift key while dragging to temporarily suspend snapping.

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For more information, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

Envelope

To use the Envelope tool , choose EDIT | EDITING TOOL | ENVELOPE.

The Envelope tool is designed to manipulate envelopes in events. With the Envelope tool
selected, you can add, delete, select, and move envelope points, but events cannot be
moved or edited.

For more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)

Selection

To use the Selection tool , choose EDIT | EDITING TOOL | SELECTION.

The Selection tool is designed to select multiple events across tracks by drawing selection
boxes around the events you want to include. The Selection tool can draw three types of
selection boxes:

Type Description

The default behavior of the tool:

● Click to select individual events (hold Shift or Ctrl to select
multiple events).
Free Selec- ● Drag to draw a rectangular region that begins where you
tion
start drawing and ends where you release the mouse button.
All of the events that are inside the region will be selected.
This method is good for selecting a group of events that are
close together.

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Type Description

Can be used to easily select all events that occur within a time range.
The vertical selection box automatically selects all of the tracks
Vertical between your first mouse click and where you draw the selection
box; even tracks that are not visible at the current magnification are
selected.

Can be used to easily select all events on a single or multiple adjacent

tracks. The horizontal selection box automatically selects all events
Horizontal
on a track that is touched by the selection box; even events that are
not visible at the current magnification are selected.

To change the type of selection box you are using, right-click the mouse while holding
down the left mouse button. Clicking the right mouse button will toggle through the three
types of selection boxes.

Zoom

To use the Zoom tool , choose EDIT | EDITING TOOL | ZOOM. You can use the zoom
tool to change the magnification of the VEGAS Pro project.

TIP Click the ZOOM button in the corner of the timeline to temporarily change the
cursor into the Zoom tool. Select an area of the timeline that you want to magnify, and
the cursor will revert to the previously active tool.

TIP Before zooming, you can maximize the timeline by using the following shortcuts:

● Press F11 to maximize the timeline vertically (Window Docking area will be hid-
den).

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● Press Ctrl+F11 to maximize the timeline vertically and horizontally (Window Dock-
ing area and Track List will be hidden).
● Press Shift+F11 to maximize the timeline horizontally (Track List will be hidden).

Drag the mouse over the area you want to magnify. A dotted rectangle is drawn around the
area, and the area is magnified when the mouse button is released.

While holding the left mouse button, click the right mouse button to toggle through the
three magnification modes:

Item Description

The default behavior of the Zoom tool. Use this mode to zoom into a sec-
Free
tion of your VEGAS Pro project horizontally and vertically at the same
Zoom
time.

Time Use this mode to zoom horizontally without changing the vertical mag-
Zoom nification.

Track
Use this mode to zoom vertically without changing the horizontal mag-
Height
nification.
Zoom

TIP Clicking anywhere in the project with the Zoom tool will zoom out so that the entire
project fits in the timeline, and as many tracks as possible will be displayed.

Next Tool
Choose NEXT TOOL (or press D) to switch to the next tool in the list. For example, if you're
using the Normal tool, NEXT TOOL selects the Envelope tool.

Previous Tool
Choose PREVIOUS TOOL (or press Shift+D) to switch to the next tool in the list. For
example, if you're using the Envelope tool, PREVIOUS TOOL selects the Normal tool.

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Editing events on the timeline

Events are containers on the timeline that contain media. Each event can contain more
than one media file. Each media file in an event is called a take. An event also provides
access to features that allow cropping, fade in and out, opacity, gain, and other tools to
control and edit events. Events are divided into two broad categories: Video events and
Audio events. Some of the tools are specific to the type of event: audio or video.

Each event has a header that by default displays the event name, the Crop icon, the FX
icon, and the More button that opens a cascading menu of other tools for the event type.

Directly below the Event header is the part of an event that contains thumbnails of the
video frames for a video event and a waveform display for an audio event.

In the left and right corners are fade-in and fade-out handles. 1

The handle in the top center of a video event controls the overall opacity of that event and,
for an audio event, the overall volume of that event. 2.

The color of the event corresponds to the color of the track header. When you select an
event, the frame turns yellow to indicate that it is the currently selected event.

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More often than not, you probably won't want to use an entire media file as an event on a
track. The VEGAS® Pro timeline makes it easy for you to manipulate and arrange events.

NOTE
If VEGAS Pro cannot read frames in a video event, they will be displayed in red in the
timeline (those frames will be black in the Video Preview window and the rendered out-
put):

Inserting an empty event

From the Insert menu, choose EMPTY EVENT to insert a blank audio or video event on a
track. You can specify a duration for the empty event or accept the default time. The type
of event, either audio or video, depends on the type of track you have selected.

1. Select the track where you want to insert the event.

2. Click and drag along the Marker Bar to make a time selection for the new event
(or, as a more precise alternative to dragging the mouse, hold down the Shift key
and press the right arrow key to select the region).

3. From the Insert menu, choose EMPTY EVENT. The new event is placed on the
track.

Inserting time
From the Insert menu, choose TIME to insert a specified amount of blank space into the
VEGAS Pro project at the cursor position.

This feature can be used to create space in the project for new events and uses the time

format of the Time Ruler. For more information, see Time ruler (p. 62)

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TIP If you want to remove time from all tracks in your project, create a time selection

that encompasses the time you want to delete. Select the AUTO RIPPLE button (or

press Ctrl+L). Next, click the down arrow next to the AUTO RIPPLE button and
choose ALL TRACKS, MARKERS, AND REGIONS. When you delete the time selection,
the selected portion of the timeline is removed, and events to the right of the deleted
section Shift left to fill the space.

1. Select the tracks where you want to insert time.

If no events are selected, time is inserted across all tracks. If you have events
selected, time will be inserted at the cursor position in the selected events.

2. Position the cursor where you want to begin.

3. From the Insert menu, choose TIME. The Insert Time dialog box appears.

4. Specify the amount of time you want to insert and click OK.

Creating selections and positioning the cursor

Selecting data and positioning the cursor are the first steps in a variety of editing tasks.
You can move selected events, copy them to the clipboard, delete, edit, and more.

There are different methods of selecting events depending on the type of selections you

want to make and the active editing tool. For more information, see Editing Tool (p.
231)

TIP
You can also choose EDIT | SELECT and choose a command from the submenu for
access to additional selection methods.

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Selecting a single event

With the Normal or Selection tool active, click the event. The event is highlighted to
indicate that it has been selected.

Selecting a range of events

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

1. Point your mouse to an empty area of the timeline.

2. With the left mouse button, drag to create a selection rectangle around the events
you want to select.

FIGURE Event Selection with left mouse button

Adjusting the Selection Box

You can change selection states while making your selection, just as you can when you use
the Selection Edit tool specifically.

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1. Modify Selection Width:

● Make a selection with the left button, but don’t release the button just yet.

● With the left mouse button still down (so you’re still in selection mode), click
the right mouse button.
This constrains the selection box so that you can only adjust the width of the
box. Use this mode if you want to ensure that you select events within a spe-
cific range horizontally on all tracks in your project (even if you can’t cur-
rently see them).

2. Modify Selection Height:

● With the left button still down, click the right button again. Now you can only
adjust the height of the selection box. Use this mode if you want to select
everything on each track within the height of your selection box (again,
regardless of whether you can see what’s on the tracks or not).

3. Free-form Mode:

● Click the right button again to toggle back to free-form mode where you can
define both the width and height of the selection box.

Reverting to Old Behavior

If you’ve gotten used to the old behavior of the left button and you miss being able to use it
to make time selections, follow these steps:

1. Choose OPTIONS | PREFERENCES.

2. In the PREFERENCES dialog box, click the EDITING tab.

3. Select the USE THE RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON TO SWITCH TO THE SELECTION
EDIT TOOL checkbox.
This swaps the mouse button used for all the behaviors described above.

4. Click OK. Now use the right button to switch to the Selection Edit tool.

Old Behavior:

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1. Select the Selection tool .

NOTE You can add or subtract events from the selection area by holding down
the Ctrl key and clickingon the event.

2. Place the mouse pointer at any corner of the area that you want to select.

3. Click and hold the mouse button.

4. Drag the cursor to the opposite corner of the area you want to select.

TIP Click the right mouse button while holding the left mouse button switch
from rectangular selection, time selection,and track selection.

5. Release the mouse button (and the Ctrl key if you are pressing it). The events are
highlighted.

Selecting a time range

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

» Drag through the timeline with the right mouse button. Now you create a time selection.

FIGURE Time Selection with right mouse button

Old Behavior:

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● Click and drag along the marker bar, CD layout bar, time ruler, or a blank area of
the timeline to select a time range. All events — and portions of events — within
the region are highlighted.
Double-click an event and drag left or right to extend the selection to the next
fade or event edge on that track.
● Dragging within an event will change the event's position on the timeline. To cre-
ate time selection without moving the event, hold Ctrl+Shift while dragging.
● If the ALLOW EDIT CURSOR TO BE DRAGGED checkbox is selected on the Gen-
eral tab of the Preferences dialog, dragging the edit cursor will change its position
on the timeline. To create a time selection without moving the cursor, hold
Ctrl+Shift while dragging.
● When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+Shift+[ or Ctrl+Shift+] to create a
time selection from the previous or next selected event.

Unless an event is locked, a selected time range affects all events—or portions of events—
that occur within the range.

TIP To quickly select the full duration of the project, double-click the marker bar.

Editing the selection length

The current selection start, end, and length are displayed in the edit boxes below the
timeline:

Double-click the boxes to edit them. You can enter timeline values, such as 00:00:25.381,
or you can enter relative values by entering +/- and a number. For example, if the time ruler
is displayed in frames, you could type +10 to add ten frames to the selection start, end, or
length.

You can drag the ends of the time selection bar to adjust the selection length, or drag the
middle of the bar to move the selection without changing its duration.

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Selecting multiple adjacent events

Use this procedure to select multiple events that are located next to each other.

1. Hold the Shift key and click the first and last event that you want to select. The
events, including those between the selected events, are highlighted.

NOTE To select all of the events in the project, choose SELECT from the Edit
menu, and then choose SELECT ALL from the submenu.

2. When you have finished selecting events, release the Shift key.

Selecting multiple nonadjacent events

Use this procedure to select multiple events that are not located next to each other.

1. Hold the Ctrl key and click the events you want to select. The events are high-
lighted.

NOTE To deselect an event, simply click it again.

2. When you have finished selecting the events, release the Ctrl key.

Selecting all events

From the Edit menu, choose SELECT, and then choose SELECT ALL from the submenu (or
press Ctrl+A) to select all tracks and events in your project.

Selecting all events to the end of a track

Right-click an event and choose SELECT EVENTS TO END from the shortcut menu. The
event and all subsequent events on the same track are selected.

TIP You can also use this command with events selected on multiple tracks.

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Selecting all events after the cursor position

Choose SELECT ALL AFTER CURSOR from the Menu EDIT | SELECT or from a track's con-
text menu to select all events under and after the current cursor position. You will be asked
if you would like to select the event across ALL TRACKS or only on the SELECTED
TRACKS.

Selecting all events that refer to a specific media file

1. Right-click a file in the Project Media window and choose SELECT TIMELINE
EVENTS from the shortcut menu. The cursor moves to the first event that uses
the media, the timeline scrolls to the cursor, and all events that use the selected
media file in the active take are selected.

For more information, see Using takes as alternate versions of events (p.
353)

2. Hold Ctrl or Shift while choosing SELECT TIMELINE EVENTS from the shortcut
menu to add the events to the current selection.

TIP
● When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl to move the edge of the pre-
vious or next selected event.
● When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+Shift to create a time selection
from the previous or next selected event.

Selecting the start or end of an event for keyboard edge trim-

ming

From the Edit menu, choose SELECT, and then choose SELECT EVENT START or SELECT
EVENT END from the submenu (or press [ or ]) to select the start or end of an event and

enter keyboard edge-trimming mode. For more information, see Adjusting an event's
length (p. 327)

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TIP When multiple events are selected, press Ctrl+[ or Ctrl+] to move the edge of the
previous or next selected event.

Positioning the cursor

To set the cursor position, click in the timeline or time ruler. The cursor moves to the pos-
ition you click, and the cursor position is displayed below the timeline.

Panning and cropping video events

Use Crop if you want to cut out portions of an image. There are two different methods for
cropping an event. Use the CROP OFX PLUG-IN, found in the Video FX window, or use the
internal PAN/CROP TOOL accessed by clicking the Crop icon in the event header.

The main benefits of using the CROP OFX PLUG-IN are the ease of use provided by the
Video Preview interact and it can used where ever you can apply OFX effects, - media,
event, track, project.

Crop using the Crop OFX Plug-in

You can apply the Crop OFX plug-in at all the same places you can apply any OFX Plug-in;
Media level, Project, Track or Event. To take advantage of the Preview Window interacts it
is best applied at the Track or Event level. In this example, we’ll add it to a specific event.

1. With at least one event on the timeline, open the Video FX window

2. Expand the OFX folder

3. Choose CROP

4. Drag and drop the default preset on the event. You now see the Video Event FX
window as well as the interacts in the Video Preview window.

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1. The interact controls include four crop handles; Left, Top, Right, Bottom.
Once you drag one of these handles, the handle opposite it becomes the
anchor point. e.g., if you drag the right handle the left handle becomes the
anchor point. The anchor point has a black dot in the middle of the handle
icon.

5. To crop off a portion of the image, click and drag a crop handle toward the center.
e.g., to crop off the left side of the image, drag the left crop handle toward the cen-
ter.

6. To crop using the Video FX window:

1. Click the Anchor Point dropdown arrow and choose an anchor point.

2. Use the X CROP or Y CROP slider or enter a specific value in the X or Y text
box to set the crop.

7. To change the location of the cropped area using the Video Preview interact, click
and drag the selection area to a new position.

8. To change the Location using the Video FX window, type a new value into the
LOCATION text box. Or, click the arrow next to Location in the Video FX window to
expand the LOCATION field and click and drag the location control.

9. To adjust the Angle using the Video Preview window, click and drag the circle
inside the selection area.

10. To adjust the Angle using the Video FX window, enter a value in the angle text
box, or drag the Angle slider.

11. To adjust Opacity, enter a number in the OPACITY text box in the Video FX win-
dow or drag the OPACITY slider.

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TIP If you want to create an animated crop, use the keyframe controller at the bottom
of the Video Event FX window to establish distinct settings throughout the duration of
the event. To access the keyframe controller click the animate button associated with
the paramater you want to animate. For more information, see Keyframe animation (p.
756). Because the parameters are so dependent on each other it is important to have
animation turned on for ALL the parameters before you start to animate a crop.

Crop using the Pan/Crop tool

Use the PAN/CROP TOOL to crop, zoom, rotate, or pan the selected video event. You can
also use panning and cropping to add motion to video events created with still images.

You can also use the Pan/Crop tool to create masks using Bézier curves.

TIP To prevent unwanted blurring, you can choose whether effects are applied to the
event before or after any event panning and cropping by arranging the PAN/CROP but-
ton in the plug-in chain at the top of the Video Event FX window.

Here, the Deform plug-in is applied before the pan/crop and the Glow and Color Curves
plug-ins are applied after the pan/crop.

Cropping or zooming a video event

Cropping is the process of removing the outside edges from an image or video without res-
izing it.

When you use a single setting for the duration of an event, you are cropping the contents
of the event. When you add keyframes to change the extent of cropping through the dur-
ation of the event, you can create an animated zoom effect.

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1. From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and choose VIDEO EVENT PAN/CROP (or

click the PAN/CROP button on the video event).

The Pan/Crop plug-in is displayed in the Video Event FX window.

2. Adjust the selection area to change the viewable portion of the event.
● To resize the selection box, drag the handles located around the perimeter
of the box. To type specific dimensions for the selection box, expand the
POSITION heading on the left side of the window and type new values in the
WIDTH and HEIGHT boxes.

Select the LOCK ASPECT RATIO button if you want the selection box to
retain its aspect ratio during resizing. When the button is not selected, the
height and width can be resized independently.

Select the SIZE ABOUT CENTER button if you want the selection box to
retain its center point when you resize the box by dragging its edges. When
the button is not selected, the opposite side of the selection box will remain
anchored when you drag the edges to resize it.
● To reposition the selection box, click in the middle of the selection area and
drag to a new position. To type a specific location, expand the POSITION
heading on the left side of the window and type new values in the X CENTER
and Y CENTER boxes.

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When MOVE FREELY is selected, you can move the selection box along

the X or Y axis. When MOVE IN X ONLY is selected, you can only move

the selection box horizontally. When MOVE IN Y ONLY is selected, you

can only move the selection box vertically.
● To zoom in on the selection so the selection fills the output frame, expand
the SOURCE heading on the left side of the window and choose YES from
the STRETCH TO FILL FRAME drop-down list. When NO is selected, the
media retains its original size, and the area outside the selection box is
cropped.

TIP Right-click the workspace to display a shortcut menu that displays com-
mands to restore, center, or flip the selection box. You can also force the box
to match the source media's aspect ratio or your project's output aspect ratio.
Matching the output aspect ratio can prevent black bars from appearing when
you use source media (such as photographs) that does not match your pro-
ject's aspect ratio.

3. The cropping or zooming occurs instantly and the results are updated in the Video
Preview window.

4. If you want to create an animated crop or zoom, use the keyframe controller at the
bottom of the Video Event FX window to establish distinct zoom settings through-
out the duration of the event.
During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.
Expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION heading on the left side of the window

and drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation. For more inform-
ation, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

TIP Use the DEFAULT PAN/CROP SMOOTHNESS control on the External Control &
Automation tab of the Preferences dialog to set the default Smoothness value for new
keyframes.

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Creating a Bézier mask

Select the MASK checkbox in the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Video Event
FX window and use the controls in the PATH heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-
in to create masks using Bézier curves.

Each event can contain multiple Bézier masks.

FIGURE Video Tracks

FIGURE Bézier Mask

FIGURE Video Output

TIP Double-click the mask shape in the workspace to edit its properties. For more
information, see Editing a mask (p. 256)

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Bézier curve types for OFX automation

OFX automation curves can be modified with Bézier curves. This enables you to customize
your curve shapes between keyframes of OFX parameters.

Control curves with Bézier handles:

1. Add an OFX plug-in to your project.

2. Click the ANIMATION button for the parameter you want to animate.

3. In the Animation timeline section, click the CURVES tab.

4. Double-click the animation envelope to add a point to it.

5. Right-click the newly added point. In the context menu, you see all of the normal
options, including the standard curve shapes.
At the bottom of the menu you have two options, which replace the Manual
options of previous versions:
● Bézier curve (locked tangents):

Choose this option to add Bézier tangents that cannot be moved inde-
pendently from one another. As you move one handle, the other handle
moves in an equal-but-opposite manner. This causes the curves on both
sides of the automation point to adjust regardless of which of the two
handles you manipulate.
● Bézier Currves (split tangents):

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Choose this option to add Bézier tangents that can be manipulated inde-
pendently of one another. This enables you to adjust the curve on one side
of the envelope point without affecting the curve on the other side of the
point

NOTE Old projects in which you used the Manual curve controls will be updated to use
these new Bézier controls if you open those projects in this new update of VEGAS Pro
or any subsequent update.

Creating a rectangular or oval mask

Use the RECTANGLE OR SQUARE MASK CREATION TOOL or OVAL OR CIRCLE MASK

CREATION TOOL on the left side of the Video Event FX window to quickly create new
masks. Each event can contain multiple masks.

1. From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and choose VIDEO EVENT PAN/CROP (or

click the PAN/CROP button on the video event). The Pan/Crop plug-in is dis-
played in the Video Event FX window.

2. Select the MASK checkbox in the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Video
Event FX window.

3. Click the RECTANGLE OR SQUARE MASK CREATION TOOL or OVAL OR

CIRCLE MASK CREATION TOOL on the left side of the Video Event FX window.

4. Click and drag in the workspace to create a mask.

● Hold Shift while dragging to constrain the mask to a square or circular
shape.
● Hold Ctrl while dragging to scale the mask shape from its center.

● When creating an oval or circular mask, hold the left or right Alt key to create
a half-oval (or half-circle) mask.
● When creating a rectangle or square mask, hold Alt to create a mask with
rounded corners.

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5. Double-click the mask shape in the workspace to edit its properties. For more
information, see Editing a mask (p. 256)

Masking event effects

You can use the APPLY TO FX control on the left side of the Video Event FX window to
mask video event effects.

1. Apply an effect to your video event. For example, if you wanted to blur a subject's
face, you could use the Pixelate plug-in.

For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

2. Create a mask around the portion of the event where you want the effect applied.

For more information, see Creating a Bézier mask (p. 252) or Creating a rect-
angular or oval mask (p. 254)

3. Select the MASK checkbox in the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Video
Event FX window and expand the MASK heading on the left side of the window.

4. Choose YES from the APPLY TO FX menu.

When you choose YES, the video event effects will be applied only to the mask
area:

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When you choose NO, the mask is applied to the frame:

Editing a mask

After you create a Bézier, rectangular, or circular mask, you can use the tools in the work-
space to edit the mask

1. Double-click the mask shape in the workspace to edit its properties:

2. Click the POSITIVE MASK or NEGATIVE MASK button to choose whether you
want to mask the area inside or outside the mask shape.

TIP You can also choose POSITIVE or NEGATIVE from the MODE drop-down
list in the PATH heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in.

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3. If you want to feather the edge of the mask shape, select the FEATHER INSIDE ,

FEATHER BOTH , or FEATHER OUTSIDE button and drag the slider below the
mask shape to adjust the feather amount.

TIP You can also use the FEATHER TYPE and FEATHER (%) controls in the
PATH heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in.

4. To move a mask, double-click the path to select it, and then drag it within the
workspace.

TIP
● You can also hold Alt+Shift while clicking a mask to select or deselect it.

● You can also use the POSITION controls on the left side of the Pan/Crop
plug-in to move selected masks.
● To scale or rotate a selected mask, use the drag handles around the
shape. Hold Ctrl or Shift to constrain movement.
● Hold Shift while rotating a mask to constrain rotation to 15-degree incre-
ments.
● To flip selected masks, right-click the mask and choose FLIP
HORIZONTAL or FLIP VERTICAL from the shortcut menu.
● To duplicate a mask, right-click the mask and choose DUPLICATE from
the shortcut menu (or hold Ctrl while dragging a selected mask to a new
position).

Rotating a video event

1. From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and choose VIDEO EVENT PAN/CROP (or

click the PAN/CROP button on the video event).

The Pan/Crop plug-in is displayed in the Video Event FX window.

2. Adjust the selection area to crop the event. (If you rotate the entire frame, the
background behind the video event will show through.)

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3. Drag the corner of the selection box to rotate the event. Your cursor is displayed

as a .

To type a specific rotation angle, expand the ROTATION heading on the left side
of the window and type a new value in the ANGLE box.

4. If you want to rotate your video around a center point other than the center of the
selection box, drag the point at the center of the selection point.
To type a specific center point, expand the ROTATION heading and type new val-
ues in the X CENTER and Y CENTER boxes.
As you rotate your event, the video will rotate about this center.
The rotation occurs instantly and the results are updated in the Video Preview win-
dow.

5. If you want to use multiple rotation settings, use the keyframe controller at the bot-
tom of the Video Event FX window to establish distinct settings throughout the
duration of the event.
During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.
Expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION heading on the left side of the window

and drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation. For more inform-
ation, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

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TIP Use the DEFAULT PAN/CROP SMOOTHNESS control on the Editing tab of
the Preferences dialog to set the default Smoothness value for new key-
frames.

Panning a video event

You can use event panning to focus on the action of a video event, or you can simulate
motion using a still image.

TIP Another use for panning is Pan-and-Scan, which is a technique commonly used
when film is converted for television. Movie screens and film are usually wider (~2.35:1)
than television (~1.33:1). When you transfer the film to video, you can use panning to
crop your video frame and move the crop area to follow the action or subject.

1. From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and choose VIDEO EVENT PAN/CROP (or

click the PAN/CROP button on the video event).

The Pan/Crop plug-in is displayed in the Video Event FX window.

2. Adjust the selection area to crop the event. (If you pan the entire frame, the back-
ground behind the video event will show through.)

3. To resize the selection box, drag the handles located around the perimeter of the
box. To type specific dimensions for the selection box, expand the POSITION
heading on the left side of the window and type new values in the WIDTH and
HEIGHT boxes.

Select the LOCK ASPECT RATIO button if you want the selection box to retain
its aspect ratio during resizing. When the button is not selected, the height and
width can be resized independently.

Select the SIZE ABOUT CENTER button if you want the selection box to retain
its center point when you resize the box by dragging its edges. When the button is
not selected, the opposite side of the selection box will remain anchored when
you drag the edges to resize it.

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4. To reposition the selection box, click in the middle of the selection area and drag
to a new position. To type a specific location, expand the POSITION heading on
the left side of the window and type new values in the X CENTER and Y CENTER
boxes.

When MOVE FREELY is selected, you can move the selection box along the X

or Y axis. When MOVE IN X ONLY is selected, you can only move the selection

box horizontally. When MOVE IN Y ONLY is selected, you can only move the
selection box vertically.

5. To zoom in on the selection so the selection fills the output frame, expand the
SOURCE heading on the left side of the window and choose YES from the
STRETCH TO FILL FRAME drop-down list. When NO is selected, the media retains
its original size, and the area outside the selection box is cropped.

TIP Right-click the workspace to display a shortcut menu that displays com-
mands to restore, center, or flip the selection box. You can also force the box
to match the source media's aspect ratio or your project's output aspect ratio.
Matching the output aspect ratio can prevent black bars from appearing when
you use source media (such as photographs) that does not match your pro-
ject's aspect ratio.

6. Expand the SOURCE heading on the left side of the window and choose YES from
the STRETCH TO FILL FRAME drop-down list.

7. Drag the selection box to set the viewable portion the event. Your cursor is dis-
played as a .

8. Use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Video Event FX window to estab-
lish distinct settings throughout the duration of the event. The path of the panning
is drawn in the Video Event FX window.
During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.
Expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION heading on the left side of the window

and drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation. For more inform-
ation, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

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TIP Use the DEFAULT PAN/CROP SMOOTHNESS control on the Editing tab of
the Preferences dialog to set the default Smoothness value for new key-
frames.

Editing keyframe interpolation

If you have two or more keyframes, you can expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION head-
ing and edit the SMOOTHNESS setting to adjust the smoothness of the motion.

Smoothness adjusts spatial interpolation: how motion occurs within the frame. A
SMOOTHNESS setting of 0 produces linear motion from one keyframe to the next. Increas-
ing the setting produces a curved path.

NOTE If you want to adjust temporal interpolation how motion occurs over time change
a keyframe type by right-clicking a keyframe and choosing a new interpolation curve
type (linear, fast, slow, smooth, sharp, or hold).

During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion. For
more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

TIP Use the DEFAULT PAN/CROP SMOOTHNESS control on the Editing tab of the
Preferences dialog to set the default Smoothness value for new keyframes.

Editing source media aspect ratio and stretching

Use the controls in the SOURCE heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in to indic-
ate how your video will be stretched or cropped.

Item Description

Maintain Choose YES from the drop-down list (or select the button) to pre-
aspect vent distortion of the source media file.
ratio When you choose NO, the source media's ratio of height to width is
not preserved when video is stretched in the output frame.

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Item Description

Choose YES from the drop-down list if you want the media in the selec-
Stretch to tion box to fill the output frame.
fill frame When you choose NO, the media retains its original size, and the area
outside the selection box is cropped.

Crop video to the project output aspect ratio

When you add video with one aspect ratio to a project whose properties use a different
aspect ratio, you will end up with black bars either above and below or to the right and left
of your video. To fix this, you can crop your video to an aspect ratio that matches your pro-
ject settings.

EXAMPLE
To see this, start a new project. Add a video file to your project—a video that you shot
on your mobile device help in portrait mode (up and down) will show this very plainly,
and we’ll proceed as if that’s they type of video you’ve added. When VEGAS Pro asks,
“Do you want to set your project video settings to match this media?” click Yes.

This sets your project properties to match the file’s properties, including its aspect
ratio. For most mobile devices, this will set your project properties to 1080x1920.
Notice that this is a 9:16 aspect ratio instead of the normal 16:9 aspect ratio of modern
video cameras (and most mobile devices held in landscape mode).

Click to place your cursor inside the video and notice that the Video Preview window
shows your video in portrait mode. The video fills the entire live area.

Next, drag a video that was shot in landscape mode onto your timeline. Place your
cursor within the new event. Notice that the video does not fill the live area. VEGAS Pro
fits it into the frame according to the narrowest aspect in order to show the entire video
in the frame. In this case, width acts as the limiting factor, so the video fills the frame
side to side, but leaves large black areas above and below.

Crop videos manually

To remove the black bars, you need to crop the video to the proper aspect ratio.

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1. Click the event’s Event Pan/Crop button.

2. Right-click the position box in the Event Pan/Crop window and choose Match Out-
put Aspect from the context menu.
This crops the video to the proper aspect ratio. Of course, this means that much
of your video gets cropped out.

3. Adjust the position of the crop box to include a more important section of the
video in the live area if you need to.

Crop videos automatically

1. In the main menu, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES | EDITING tab. For more
information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

2. Select the AUTOMATICALLY CROP VIDEO FILES ADDED TO THE TIMELINE check-
box.
Notice that another preference directly below it enables you to do the same with
still images you add to your project.

3. Click OK.

To adjust the cropping, click the event’s Event Pan/Cropbutton. Just as before, in the Event
Pan/Crop dialog box you can reposition the crop area to focus on the portion of your video
that you find most important.

Editing workspace display settings

Use the controls in the WORKSPACE heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in to
change the display.

Item Description

To change the magnification of the video in the workspace, select the

Zoom ZOOM box and type a new setting, or select the box and click the but-
ton to display a slider that you can use to adjust the magnification level.

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Item Description

To pan the display left or right, select the X OFFSET box and type a new

setting, or select the box and click the button to display a slider that
X offset you can use to adjust the offset.

Negative values move the video to the left, positive values move to the
right, and 0 represents the horizontal center of the workspace.

To pan the display up or down, select the Y OFFSET box and type a new

setting, or select the box and click the button to display a slider that
Y offset you can use to adjust the offset.

Negative values move the video up, positive values move the video
down, and 0 represents the vertical center of the workspace.

Select the GRID SPACING box and type a new setting or select the box
Grid spa-
cing and click the button to display a slider that you can use to adjust the
number of divisions displayed in the workspace.

TIP You can also change the X OFFSET and Y OFFSET values by hovering over the

workspace until the pointer is displayed as a and dragging the workspace to pan in
any direction.

Editing the selection box

Use the controls in the EDIT heading on the left side of the Pan/Crop plug-in to edit the
selection box in the window.

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Item Description

Choose YES from the drop-down list if you want to snap the edges of
the selection box to the workspace grid when you drag to resize or
Snap to grid move the box.
When you choose NO, you can move and resize the selection box
freely.

Choose YES from the drop-down list if you want the selection box to
retain its aspect ratio during resizing.
Lock aspect
When you choose NO, the height and width can be resized inde-
pendently.

Choose YES from the drop-down list if you want the selection box to
Scale about retain its center point when you resize the box by dragging its edges.
center When you choose NO, the opposite side of the selection box will
remain anchored when you drag the edges to resize it.

Horizontal: You can move the selection box only horizontally in the
workspace.

Allow move- VERTICAL: You can move the selection box only vertically in the
ment workspace.

UNCONSTRAINED: You can move the selection box horizontally or

vertically in the workspace.

You can also right-click in the Pan/Crop plug-in to display a shortcut menu that will allow
you to quickly adjust the selection box:

Item Description

Restore Returns the crop area to full frame.

Center Moves the crop area to the center of the frame.

Flip Horizontal Flips the event left to right and backwards.

Flip Vertical Flips the event top to bottom and backwards.

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Item Description

Match Output
Sets the x,y ratio to match your project properties.
Aspect

Match Source Sets the x,y value to match the properties of your source
Aspect media.

Saving or recalling a keyframe preset

Keyframe presets save the settings of the selected keyframe row at the cursor position.

NOTE Presets for the Position and Mask keyframe rows are saved separately: presets
you create in the Position row will not be available in the Mask row.

Saving a preset

1. Adjust your Position or Mask settings as desired to create a keyframe.

2. Type a name in the PRESET box.

3. Click the SAVE PRESET button .

Recalling a preset

1. Click in the Position or Mask keyframe row to select a row and position the cursor
where you want to apply the preset.

2. Choose a setting from the PRESET drop-down list.

If no keyframe exists at the cursor position, one is created using the settings from
the preset. If a keyframe exists at the cursor position, the keyframe's settings are
replaced with the settings from the preset.

Deleting a preset

Click the DELETE PRESET button to delete the current preset.

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Using markers, regions, and commands

Markers and regions serve as reference points along the VEGAS® Pro timeline and help
arrange events on the timeline. You can use markers for annotations, to insert metadata
commands, or to mark track and index entries for a disc-at-once CD project.

Inserting markers

Click the INSERT MARKER button on the editing toolbar or choose INSERT | MARKER
to add a marker at the cursor position. Markers can be used to indicate points of interest in
projects or to make notes in the project.

If you choose to save markers in your rendered MPEG-2 file, DVD Architect™ will read
those markers as chapter markers. Ensure the RENDER I-FRAMES AT MARKERS checkbox
is selected before rendering (in the Render As dialog, choose MAINCONCEPT MPEG-2
from the TEMPLATE box, and then click the CUSTOM button. In the Custom Template dia-
log, select the Video tab and select the RENDER I-FRAMES AT MARKERS check box).

TIP Each marker (up to 99) is assigned a number. Pressing this number on the key-
board moves the cursor to the corresponding marker.

Inserting a marker

1. Position the cursor where you want to add a marker.

2. Click the INSERT MARKER button on the editing toolbar or c hoose INSERT |

MARKER. A marker will be added at the cursor position and an edit box is dis-
played.

3. Type a name for the marker in the edit box and press Enter.

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TIP You can also insert markers during playback by pressing the M key.

Naming or renaming a marker

Right-click the marker tag and choose RENAME from the shortcut menu. Type the name
of the marker in the edit box and press Enter when you're finished.

—or—

Double-click to the right of the marker and type a name in the edit box.

Moving a marker

Drag the marker tag to a new location.

TIP Hold Shift while dragging to temporarily override the current snapping setting.

Deleting a marker

Right-click the marker tag and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Deleting all markers and regions from your project

Right-click a blank area of the Marker Bar, choose MARKERS/REGIONS, and choose

DELETE ALL from the submenu. All markers and regions in the project are removed.

Deleting all markers within the selected area

Right-click above the loop region, choose MARKERS/REGIONS, and choose DELETE ALL

IN SELECTION from the submenu. All markers and regions in the selected area are
removed.

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Moving the cursor to a marker

Click the marker tag .

Inserting regions

Click the INSERT REGION button on the editing toolbar (or choose INSERT | REGION)
to add region tags at each end of the current selection. Regions can be used to indicate
sections of projects such as credits or scenes, or they can be used to make notes in the
project.

TIP Each region (up to 99) is assigned a number. Pressing this number on the keyboard
selects the corresponding region.

Inserting a region

1. Drag the cursor in the timeline or marker bar to make a time selection.

2. Click the INSERT REGION button on the editing toolbar (or choose INSERT |

REGION. Numbered region tags are placed at the start and end of the selected
area, and an edit box is displayed.

3. Type a name for the region in the edit box and press Enter.

Moving the cursor to a region tag

Click a region tag .

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TIP To move the cursor to the start or end of a region, right-click either region tag and
choose GO TO START or GO TO END from the shortcut menu.

Deleting a region

Right-click either region tag and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Deleting all markers and regions in project

Right-click a blank area of the marker bar, choose MARKERS/REGIONS from the shortcut

menu, and choose DELETE ALL from the submenu. All regions and markers in the pro-
ject are removed.

Deleting all markers and regions within a selected area

1. Drag along the marker bar to highlight the area you want all markers and regions
to be removed from.

2. Right-click a blank area of the marker bar, choose MARKERS/REGIONS from the
shortcut menu, and choose DELETE ALL IN SELECTION from the submenu. All

regions and markers inside the selected area are removed.

Naming or renaming a region

Right-click the starting region tag and choose RENAME from the shortcut menu.

—or—

Double-click to the right of the region tag and enter a name in the edit box.

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Selecting a region

Right-click the starting or ending region tag and choose SELECT REGION from the short-
cut menu. The region is highlighted.

—or—

Double-click the start or end region tag. The region is highlighted.

Moving a region

Drag either region tag to move the tab and change the region's size.

Hold the Alt key while dragging either region tag to move a region and preserve its length.

Using media markers and regions

From the View menu, choose EVENT MEDIA MARKERS to toggle the display markers
(including XDCAM essence marks) and regions that are saved in a media file. These mark-
ers are displayed in the timeline in events that refer to the media file.

Media markers and regions cannot be edited within the event. However, when you edit the
markers in markers and regions in the Trimmer window or in an external audio editor, the
event will reflect your changes.

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Media markers/regions visible in Trimmer window

Media markers/regions displayed in event

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TIP
● From the View menu, choose EVENT MEDIA MARKERS, and then choose
SHOW MARKER LABELS from the submenu to toggle the display of marker
labels in events.
● When media markers are displayed, you can use them as snap points for pos-
itioning the cursor and for edge-trimming if SNAP TO MARKERS is selected on
the Options menu. If a media file's frame rate does not match your project
frame rate, frame quantization will occur after the snap if QUANTIZE TO

FRAMES is selected on the Options menu. For more information, see

Adjusting an event's length (p. 327) and Enable snapping (p. 290)

Inserting command markers

From the Insert menu, choose COMMAND to place a metadata command marker on the
command bar.

Command markers indicate when an instruction (function) will occur in a streaming media
file. You can use command markers to display headlines, captions, link to Web sites, or any
other function you define.

IMPORTANT Windows Media Player 9 and later will ignore metadata commands unless
the RUN SCRIPT COMMANDS WHEN PRESENT checkbox is selected on the Security
tab of the player's Preferences dialog. Be sure to instruct your audience to select this
checkbox before playing your file.

Inserting a command marker

1. Place the cursor where you want to insert the command marker.

2. From the Insert menu, choose COMMAND. The Command Properties dialog is dis-
played.

3. From the COMMAND drop-down list, choose the type of command you want to
insert, or type a custom command in the box.

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4. In the PARAMETER box, type the argument that should be passed to the com-
mand. For example, if you're using an URL command, type the address of the Web
page you want to display.

Player
Command Description
Type

Indicates when an instruction is sent to

the user's Internet browser to change
Windows the content being displayed.
URL
Media In the PARAMETER box, type the URL
that will display at a specific time during
the rendered project’s playback.

Displays text in the captioning area of

the Windows Media Player located
below the video display area.
In the PARAMETER box, type the text
that will display during playback.
Windows
Text
Media NOTE To view captions during play-
back in Windows Media Player 9,
choose CAPTIONS AND SUBTITLES
from the Windows Media Player Play
menu, and then choose ON IF
AVAILABLE from the submenu.

Displays the text from the PARAMETER

Windows
WMClosedCaption box in the captioning window that is
Media
defined by an HTML layout file.

Displays the text from the PARAMETER

Windows
WMTextBodyText box in the text window that is defined
Media
by an HTML layout file.

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Player
Command Description
Type

Displays the text from the PARAMETER

Windows
WMTextHeadline box in the headline window that is
Media
defined by an HTML layout file.

Calculates when the next queued clip

Scott Stu-
starts playing in a Scott Studios system.
Scott EOM dios WAV
For more information, please refer to
file
your Scott Studios documentation.

Set the beginning of a file in a Scott Stu-

Scott Stu- dios System without performing
Scott Cue In dios WAV destructive editing.
file For more information, please refer to
your Scott Studios documentation.

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Player
Command Description
Type

Used for primary-language closed cap-

tions.
In the COMMENT box, type the closed
caption control commands.

TIP
● If you type captioning text in
the COMMENT box and do not
specify captioning markup, a
pop-on caption is created.

608CC1 — ● You can use your keyboard to

create standard text and punc-
tuation. To insert special char-
acters and punctuation, use the
Character Map (START | ALL
PROGRAMS | ACCESSORIES |
SYSTEM TOOLS | CHARACTER
MAP).

For more information about closed cap-

tioning, see Adding closed captioning to
video files (p. 774)

Used for secondary-language closed

captions.
608CC3 —
In the COMMENT box, type the closed
caption control commands.

5. In the COMMENT box, type any comments you want to associate with the com-
mand. A comment is generally used to remind you of what the command is while
you work on the project; its function is similar to naming markers and regions.

6. In the POSITION box, type the time you want the command to occur in your pro-
ject. VEGAS Pro inserts at the cursor position by default.

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Deleting a command marker

Right-click the command marker tag and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Editing a command marker

Right-click the command marker tag and choose EDIT from the shortcut menu.

—or—

Double-click the command marker tag.

Moving the cursor to a command marker

Click the command marker tag .

Using command templates

If you frequently insert commands that use similar settings, you can create a template to
insert command settings automatically.

Creating a template

1. From the Insert menu, choose COMMAND to display the Command Properties dia-
log.

2. Type the settings you want to use in the COMMAND, PARAMETER, COMMENT,
and POSITION boxes.

3. In the TEMPLATE box, type the name you want to use to store the template.

4. Click the SAVE button .

Recalling a template

1. From the Insert menu, choose COMMAND to display the Command Properties dia-
log.

2. Choose the template you want to use from the TEMPLATE drop-down list. VEGAS
Pro fills in the COMMAND, PARAMETER, COMMENT, and POSITION boxes using
the information stored in the template.

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3. Edit the settings in the COMMAND, PARAMETER, COMMENT, and POSITION

boxes as necessary.

4. Click OK.

Editing metadata commands

VEGAS Pro saves your metadata command templates in the CMDTEMP.XML file in the
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Vegas\VEGAS Pro\22 folder. You can edit this
file directly to modify your templates.

Inserting CD track regions

From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO CD TRACK REGION to add a region using the current
selection at the cursor position. CD track regions are used for creating an audio CD track

list for burning Red Book audio CDs. For more information, see Disc-at-once (DAO or
Red Book) CD Burning (p. 1049)

If your first track region begins before 00:00:02:00, a timeline offset is automatically added
so the first track begins at exactly two seconds.

NOTE CD track numbering is based on the FIRST TRACK NUMBER ON DISC setting on

the Audio CD tab in the Project Properties dialog. For more information, see Setting
project properties (p. 72)

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TIP
● From the Options menu, choose QUANTIZE TO FRAMES to turn off frame

quantization before creating a CD layout. For more information, see Quant-

ize to frames (p. 293)
● Double-click a region tag to select the duration of the track.

● Press Ctrl+Period to seek to the next track.

● Press Ctrl+Comma to seek to the previous track.

Inserting CD index markers

From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO CD TRACK INDEX to add an index marker at the
cursor position.

You can use indices to subdivide a track. For example, a track could contain an orchestral
composition, and index markers could allow navigation to each of the movements. Each

track on a Red Book audio CD can contain up to 99 index markers. For more inform-
ation, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CD Burning (p. 1049)

TIP
● Press Period to seek to the next track or index marker.

● Press Comma to seek to the previous track or index marker.

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The Marker Tool

You can use the marker tool to navigate the marker bars and edit multiple selected mark-
ers.

1. Click the MARKER TOOL button in the top-right corner of the timeline.

2. Select the markers you want to edit:

● Press the Left Arrow/Right Arrow keys to move to the previous/next marker
in the active bar (marker/region bar, CD layout bar, or command bar).
● Press Shift+Left Arrow/Right Arrow keys to extend the selection to the pre-
vious/next marker.
● Press Shift while clicking two marker tags to select all markers between the
two tags.
● Press Ctrl while clicking marker tags to select or deselect individual markers.

3. Edit your markers:

● Dragging any selected marker will move all selected markers in the active
bar as a group.
● Pressing Delete will remove all selected markers in the active bar.

The marker tool is inactive when you change focus to another portion of the
VEGAS Pro window.

Moving events
An event's position on the timeline determines where it will be played in your project. You

can use snapping to help you align events to the grid, frame boundaries, or markers.
For more information, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

NOTE When the ALLOW EDIT CURSOR TO BE DRAGGED checkbox is selected on the
General tab of the Preferences dialog, dragging the cursor changes its position on the
timeline. If you want to drag an event, click a portion of the event that is not beneath

the cursor before dragging. For more information, see General Tab (p. 1109)

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Dragging an event to a new position

Dragging is the simplest way to move events in your project. You can drag an event so it
occurs earlier or later in your project, or you can drag it to another track.

TIP You can also use keyboard shortcuts to move events. Press 1 or 3 on the numeric
keypad to move one frame left or right, or press 4 or 6 on the numeric keypad to move

one pixel left or right. For more information, see Keyboard shortcuts (p. 1238)

1. Click an event and hold the mouse button.

2. Drag the event to the position where you want it to be played.

NOTE
● If you drag an event so that it overlaps another event, a crossfade is

inserted to transition smoothly between the two events. For more

information, see Automatic crossfades (p. 289)

●
If the AUTO RIPPLE button is selected, downstream events will move

as you drag the event. For more information, see Post-edit ripple (p.
307)

3. Release the mouse button.

TIP If you right-click and drag an event, a shortcut menu is displayed when you
release the mouse button. You can choose MOVE HERE from the menu to
move the event, or choose COPY HERE to preserve the position of the original
and create a copy of the event where you release the mouse.

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Moving multiple events along the timeline

1. If you want to move an event and all subsequent events on a track, right-click the

event and choose SELECT EVENTS TO END or turn on AUTO RIPPLE . For
more information, see Post-edit ripple (p. 307)

2. Drag the events to the position where you want them to be played.

TIP You can also use keyboard shortcuts to move events. Press 1 or 3 on the
numeric keypad to move one frame left or right, or press 4 or 6 on the numeric

keypad to move one pixel left or right. For more information, see Keyboard
shortcuts (p. 1238)

Cutting, copying, and pasting events

In the same way you might use a word processor, you can use VEGAS Pro to cut, copy, and
paste events along the timeline.

1. Click an event to select it.

2. Click the COPY or CUT button.

3. Click to position the cursor where you want to insert the event.

NOTE Clicking in the timeline will position the cursor along the timeline and
select a track. Video events must be pasted to a video track, and audio events
must be pasted to an audio track.

4. Click the PASTE button .

For more information, see Cutting, copying, and pasting events (p. 296)

Adjustment events
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

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Adjustment events provide a powerful tool for adding effects to your project in very flexible
and creative ways. You can add an adjustment event to your project and apply effects to
that event. Then, any video event in your timeline directly below the adjustment event will
“inherit” the effect from the adjustment event. You can use this to easily bring effects in
and out, create sophisticated custom transitions, and much more.

Adjustment events behave similarly to regular video events, but with some additional cap-
abilities. Here are some techniques you can use with adjustment events:
● Add fades in and out.

● Change the opacity.

● Create trim, split, and other edits.

● Cut, copy, and paste adjustment events.

● Use the Mute and Lock switches to control their behavior.

NOTE Certain functions, such as reversing or adding a Velocity envelope, do not apply
to adjustment events.

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Adding an Adjustment Event

● You already have one or more video events in your timeline.

1. Choose INSERT | VIDEO TRACK to add a new track to the top of your project.

2. Reorder the tracks so that only the desired tracks are below the new track.

3. Click the timeline within the new track to select it.

4. Place your cursor at the desired starting point for the adjustment event.

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5. Choose INSERT | ADJUSTMENT EVENT.

This adds a new event to the timeline, which is an empty event with special shad-
ing that indicates it is an adjustment event.

Just like any video event, you can add up to 32 effects in the chain of effects for the event.

Applying Effects to Adjustment Events

Once you've added an adjustment event, you can apply effects to it.
● Make sure your timeline cursor is within the adjustment event, and notice in the
VIDEO PREVIEW window that the adjustment event has no effect on your project.

1. Click the VIDEO FX tab.

2. Choose an effect from the list on the left.

EXAMPLE For instance, assuming the video beneath the adjustment event is a
color clip, choose Black and White from the list of effects.

3. Drag the desired preset onto the adjustment event.

4. Preview the effect in the Video Preview window.

The effect has been applied to the video beneath the adjustment event.

Naming an Adjustment Event

You can also name your adjustment events to easily identify and reuse them in your pro-
ject.

1. Right-click the adjustment event.

2. Choose PROPERTIES from the context menu.

3. In the PROPERTIES window, enter a name in the ACTIVE TAKE name field.

4. Click OK to save the name.

5. To see the name, click the event’s MORE button and choose ACTIVE TAKE
INFORMATION from the More menu.

Using Multiple Adjustment Events

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You can add multiple adjustment events to your project, either on the same track or on dif-
ferent tracks. They can overlap with automatic crossfades or transitions. Experiment with
stacking adjustment events to create different effects at different times, either alone or in
combination with other adjustment events.

Adjustment Events and Adjustment Tracks

For even more flexibility, you can combine adjustment events with adjustment tracks. This
allows you to apply effects to specific tracks or groups of tracks in your project.

Color Grading and Correcting with Adjustment Events

You can use adjustment events in your color grading and correcting workflow. Apply color
adjustments using the Color Grading panel, and these adjustments will be applied to the
video (or videos) in the tracks below the adjustment events. You can easily copy and paste
adjustment events to apply the same grading to other video events in your project.

1. Remove all effects from the adjustment event.

2. With the adjustment event selected, click the Color Grading button to open the
Color Grading panel.

3. Make adjustments in the Color Grading panel and notice that these changes are
applied to the video (or videos) in the tracks below the adjustment event.

4. Once you've finished your grading, you can easily apply the same grading to other
video events. Copy the adjustment event and paste it above any other video
event(s) to which you want to apply the same grading.

Creating Custom Transitions

Adjustment events can be used to create custom transitions between video clips. By
adding effects and animating their parameters, you can achieve unique transition effects.
Experiment with different effects and techniques to create the desired transition effects
for your project.

1. Set up a project with an adjustment event on a track above two video events that
are snapped to each other without overlapping.

2. Position the adjustment event to span the cut between the two clips below.

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3. From the Video Event FX window, drag the Default preset of the Linear Blur plug-
in onto the adjustment event.

4. Click the Animate button for the Amount parameter in the Video Event FX window.

5. In the timeline, click the adjustment event at the point where the two video events
meet.

6. Click the Sync Cursor to Media Timeline button in the Video Event FX window.

7. Set the Amount parameter slider to 1.0.

8. Click the end of the adjustment event in the timeline.

9. Finally, set the Amount parameter slider back to 0.0. (Remember to turn off the
Sync Cursor to Media Timeline button afterward.)

10. Click to place your cursor before the adjustment event and play your project.
You’ve just created a simple blur transition between the two clips. And, since the
blur exists in the adjustment event, you can simply copy and paste that event and
place it over any other two events to add exactly the same transition to those.
To take your custom transitions to the next level, add the Offset and Wrap OFX
plug-in to create motion during the transition.

Limiting Adjustment Events to Specific Tracks

You can restrict the effects of an adjustment event to specific tracks in your project.

1. Add another video clip beneath the one currently affected by the adjustment
event.

2. Click the Video FX tab and select Picture In Picture from the list of effects.

3. Drag the Upper Left, Scaled, No Angle, Opaque preset onto the upper video event
(not the adjustment event).

4. This creates a picture-in-picture composite of the two videos, with both appear-
ing in black and white.

5. Click the More button for the track holding the top video and choose Make Com-
positing Child from the menu.

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The adjustment event's effect is now limited to tracks that are compositing children of the
track holding the adjustment event. Only the inset video remains black and white, while the
other video is unaffected.

Using Masking Techniques

You can create various effects by utilizing masking with adjustment events.

1. Insert another video track and position it between the two video tracks.

2. Add a new adjustment event to this track and apply an effect. For example, use
the Extreme Blur preset to add a Gaussian Blur filter to the adjustment event.

3. To blur only a portion of your video, use a masking technique. Select the Cookie
Cutter effect from the Video FX window and drag the TicTakToe preset onto the
new adjustment event.

4. Observe in the Video Preview window that the preset "cuts holes" in the video,
masking out the blur effect and revealing the unblurred portion.

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Automatic crossfades
From the Options menu, choose AUTOMATIC CROSSFADES if you want to automatically
create crossfades when you overlap two events.

Creating a crossfade

You can easily create crossfades between audio or video events by simply dragging an
event.

1. From the Options menu, choose AUTOMATIC CROSSFADES to turn on automatic

crossfades.

2. Drag an event so that it overlaps another event on the same track.

A crossfade is automatically added to transition smoothly between the two
events.

Changing the fade type

You can change a crossfade to use one of many combinations of fast, slow, linear, smooth,
and sharp fade curves.

1. Right-click the overlapping area to display a shortcut menu.

2. Choose FADE TYPE from the shortcut menu and choose a fade curve from the
submenu.

Converting a video crossfade to a transition

1. Right-click a crossfade between two video events and choose TRANSITION from
the shortcut menu.

2. Choose a transition type from the submenu to convert a crossfade to a transition,

or choose INSERT OTHER to choose another transition type from the Plug-In
Chooser.
For more information about using transitions, see Transitions (p. 521)

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TIP Drag a transition from the Transitions window to a video crossfade to

quickly convert a crossfade to another transition type.

Enable snapping
From the Options menu, choose ENABLE SNAPPING to turn snapping on or off in the main
timeline and in the Trimmer window.

Snapping helps you align items along the timeline when you move events, trim events, or
work with markers and regions.

As you drag items along the timeline or in the Trimmer window, an indicator is displayed to
show snap points. When you snap to an event, the snap indicator is displayed in the appro-
priate track. If you snap to the cursor, a marker/region, time selection, or the grid, the snap
indicator is displayed across the height of the timeline:

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TIP
● When you drag a group of selected events, the first and last event will snap to
other snap points on the timeline. If the leftmost event has an event snap off-
set established, the offset will be used as the left snap point.
● When snapping is enabled, you can hold the Shift key to temporarily override
snapping.
● When snapping is not enabled, you can hold the Shift key to temporarily enable
snapping.
● You can edit snap indicator colors on the Display tab of the Preferences dialog.

For more information, see Display Tab (p. 1159)

● If you drag to a snap point that does not occur on a frame boundary when
QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is enabled, the snap indicator is displayed as a dashed
line to indicate that the snap point will be quantized to the nearest frame
boundary:

For more information, see Quantize to frames (p. 293)

Turning snapping on or off

From the Options menu, choose ENABLE SNAPPING to turn snapping on or off. When snap-
ping is enabled, events will snap to the following points:
● Other events' edges

● The cursor

● Time selection edges

● The first and last event edges (when dragging multiple events)

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You can also choose to snap events to grid lines or to markers.

Snapping to the grid

When snapping is enabled, you can also choose to have elements in the timeline snap to
the vertical grid lines in the timeline.

From the Options menu, choose SNAP TO GRID (or press Ctrl+F8) to toggle snapping to
grid lines.

TIP To change the spacing of the grid, choose GRID SPACING from the Options menu
and choose a setting from the submenu.

Snapping to markers

When snapping is enabled, you can also choose to have elements in the timeline snap to
markers in the timeline.

From the Options menu, choose SNAP TO MARKERS (or press Shift+F8) to toggle snap-
ping for all marker types:
● Markers

● Regions

● CD track regions

● CD index markers

● Command markers

If the EVENT MEDIA MARKERS command is selected on the View menu, you can also use

media markers as snap points when you click in an event or edge-trim an event. For
more information, see Using media markers and regions (p. 271)

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NOTE If a media file's frame rate does not match your project frame rate, you will not be
able to snap to media markers (or other snap points that do not occur on a frame bound-

ary) when QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is selected on the Options menu. For more
information, see Quantize to frames (p. 293)

Snapping to events on other tracks

When snapping is enabled, you can also choose to have elements in the timeline snap to
the ends of events on other tracks.

From the Options menu, choose SNAP TO ALL EVENTS (or press Ctrl+Shift+F8) to toggle
snapping to event edges across tracks.

Setting an event snap offset

Each event has a snap offset flag that you can move along the event's length to fine-tune
where snapping will occur.

To adjust the flag, drag the white triangle in the lower-left corner of the event. A ToolTip
displays the amount of offset.

Quantize to frames
From the Options menu, choose QUANTIZE TO FRAMES to force edits to occur on project
frame boundaries. This setting is independent of grid and marker snapping.

When QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is turned on, the following actions will always occur on frame
boundaries:

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● Moving video events

If QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is on while dragging an audio event and the selection

group contains video, the movement is quantized so the first video event is quant-
ized (instead of the audio event).
When performing audio-only edits, quantization will occur only if QUANTIZE TO
FRAMES is turned on and the DO NOT QUANTIZE TO FRAMES FOR AUDIO-ONLY
EDITS checkbox on the Preferences | Editing tab is not selected.
● Positioning the cursor

● Making selections

● Placing markers and regions

NOTE
If you drag to a snap point that does not occur on a frame boundary when QUANTIZE
TO FRAMES is enabled, the snap indicator is displayed as a dashed line to indicate that

the snap point will be quantized to the nearest frame boundary. For more inform-
ation, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

IMPORTANT Edits that do not occur on frame boundaries can produce an undesirable
visual result. For example, if you split two events and move them together to create a
cut, splits that are not at frame boundaries can produce a short dissolve in your
rendered video.

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Show Unquantized Event Edges

You can turn on an obvious display that shows all of the event edges that do not begin or
end exactly on a video frame. By default, VEGAS Pro quantizes event edges as you move
or trim them. However, if the media you add to your timeline was shot at a different frame
rate than your project framerate, the edges of the event that holds a piece of media might
well land between project frames. You’ll notice this when the right edge of an event you
added does not end directly on a project frame. There are other ways that event edges
might end up off of a project video frame as well.

It can be easy to miss event edges that don’t land on a project frame, especially when
you’re working at zoomed-out view levels. The settings make it easy to identify unquant-
ized event edges so that you can fix them.

NOTE Leaving unquantized edges in your project timeline can cause unpredictable res-
ults in the final rendered file, so it’s important to fix these before you deliver your pro-
ject.

The ENABLE QUANTIZE TO FRAMES option turns frame quantization on and off. The set-
ting defaults to On in order to help you avoid quantization problems. It’s usually wise to
keep this setting on. But even still, as described above, you might end up with unquantized
frames in your project.

» Choose OPTIONS | QUANTIZE TO FRAMES | SHOW UNQUANTIZED EVENT EDGES.

Notice that a bright red line appears on the event edge that was not quantized. This indic-
ator serves as an invaluable check against problematic edits in your project.

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The indicator appears on any unquantized event edges whether left or right and regardless
of whether the event holds video or audio. You don’t need to worry so much about unquant-
ized audio event edges unless those edges correspond to a partner video event. Frame
quantization has no benefit for audio events, and in fact, VEGAS Pro ignores this quant-
ization for any audio-only edits, but will still identify audio event edges that are not quant-
ized.

You might consider working with this indicator on at all times. But if the red highlight
annoys you while you edit, then at the very least you should turn this indicator on at the
very end of your edit before you deliver your project just to make sure you won’t have unex-
pected rendering results.

Cutting, copying, and pasting events

Just like a word processor for audio and video, VEGAS Pro will allow you to cut events,
copy events, and paste them into new places.

TIP When the CUT, COPY, AND DELETE GROUPED EVENTS checkbox on the Editing
tab of the Preferences dialog is selected, cutting, copying, or deleting an event will
affect all events in the same group. If you need to edit a single event, you can choose
IGNORE EVENT GROUPING from the Options menu to temporarily ignore grouping.

For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

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Cutting events

Select the events you want to remove and click the CUT button (or press Ctrl+X). The
selected events are removed from the track and placed on the clipboard.

TIP From the Edit menu, choose GROUP, and choose CUT ALL from the submenu. The
selected events and any events that are grouped with the selected events are cut to
the clipboard.

If you want to shuffle existing events to fill the space left by cut events when using a time

selection, use post-edit ripple mode. For more information, see Post-edit ripple (p.
307)

Cutting a time selection

If you cut a time selection, events across all tracks are removed from the timeline and
placed on the clipboard. Events that extend beyond the time selection are split at each end
of the time selection:

Time selection Clipboard Events after cut Events after cut (ripple mode)

Cutting selected events within a time selection

If you cut selected events within a time selection, the selected events are removed from
the timeline and placed on the clipboard. Selected events that extend beyond the time
selection are split at each end of the time selection:

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Time/event selec- Events after cut (ripple

Clipboard Events after cut
tion mode)

Copying events

Select the events you want and click the COPY button or choose EDIT | COPY (or press
Ctrl+C). This selected events are copied to the clipboard. You may now paste the events
anywhere in the project.

TIP
● Hold Ctrl while dragging to create copies of selected events.

● From the Edit menu, choose GROUP, and choose COPY ALL from the sub-
menu. The selected events and any events that are grouped with the selected
events are copied to the clipboard.

Copying a time selection

If you copy a time selection, the portions of events that are within the selection (across all
tracks) are placed on the clipboard:

Time selection Clipboard

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Copying selected events within a time selection

If you copy selected events within a time selection, the portions of selected events that are
within the time selection are placed on the clipboard:

Time/event selection Clipboard

Pasting events

Position the cursor and click the PASTE button or choose EDIT | PASTE (or press
Ctrl+V). Events from the clipboard are inserted at the cursor position.

Pasted events will sit on top of other events in the track if they overlap. To make space for

pasted events, you can use PASTE INSERT or use post-edit ripple mode. For more
information, see Post-edit ripple (p. 307)

Pasting the contents of the clipboard multiple times

From the Edit menu, choose PASTE REPEAT (or press Ctrl+B) to insert events from the clip-
board multiple times at the current cursor position. You may also specify the time incre-
ments for which you want the events to be spaced.

1. Copy events to the clipboard.

2. Position your cursor where you want to begin pasting the events.

3. From the Edit menu, choose PASTE REPEAT. The Paste Repeat dialog box
appears.

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4. In the NUMBER OF TIMES TO PASTE box, enter the number of times you want to
paste the event.

5. Select your options and specify the settings if applicable:

● END TO END – Pastes the events one after another with no space between.

● EVEN SPACING – Pastes the events with the time increments specified in
the PASTE EVERY controls between the starting points of the pasted
events.
If the PASTE EVERY setting is shorter than the clipboard contents, the pas-
ted events will overlap.

Pasting insert events

To insert the contents of the clipboard at the current cursor position and force existing
events to move in time to accommodate the pasted events, choose PASTE INSERT from
the Edit menu (or press Ctrl+Shift+V).

NOTE If the cursor is in the middle of an event, the event will be split at the cursor pos-
ition when the new events are pasted.

Deleting events

Click the DELETE button on the editing toolbar (or choose EDIT | DELETE) to remove
selected events or tracks without copying them to the clipboard.

NOTE If you try to delete a track that contains events, a warning message will appear
that you are about to delete these too, giving you the option to cancel this action.

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TIP
● When the CUT, COPY, AND DELETE GROUPED EVENTS checkbox on the Edit-
ing tab of the Preferences dialog is selected, cutting, copying, or deleting an
event will affect all events in the same group. If you need to delete a single
event, you can choose IGNORE EVENT GROUPING from the Options menu to
temporarily ignore grouping.

For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

● If you want to remove time from all tracks in your project, create a time selec-
tion that encompasses the time you want to delete. Select the AUTO RIPPLE

button (or press Ctrl+L). Next, click the down arrow next to the AUTO

RIPPLE button and choose ALL TRACKS, MARKERS, AND REGIONS. When
you delete the time selection, the selected portion of the timeline is removed,
and events to the right of the deleted section shift left to fill the space.

Deleting all events in a time selection

If you want to automatically move events to fill the space left by deleted events when using
a time selection, use post-edit ripple mode.

For more information, see Post-edit ripple (p. 307)

1. Create a time selection.

2. Press Ctrl+Shift+A to deselect all selected events.

3. Click the DELETE button on the editing toolbar (or choose EDIT | DELETE).
Events across all tracks are removed from the timeline. Events that extend bey-
ond the time selection are split at each end of the time selection:

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Time selection Events after delete Events after delete (ripple mode)

Deleting selected events

1. Select the events you want to delete.

2. Click the DELETE button on the editing toolbar (or choose EDIT | DELETE).

If you delete selected events within a time selection, the selected events are
removed from the timeline. Selected events that extend beyond the time selection
are split at each end of the time selection:

Time/event selec- Events after Events after delete (ripple

tion delete mode)

TIP From the Edit menu, choose GROUP, and choose DELETE ALL from the
submenu. The selected events and any events that are grouped with the selec-
ted events are deleted.

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Trimming events

Click the TRIM button on the editing toolbar to remove all data from the events except
the selected data.

This command has no effect if there is no selected data.

1. Drag the cursor to make a timeline selection (or hold down the Shift key and use
the arrow keys to make the selection).

2. Click the TRIM button on the editing toolbar. All data outside of the selection is
deleted. Events that are not selected will not be trimmed.

TIP

●
Click the TRIM START button (or press Alt+[) to trim the start of the
event to the cursor position.

●
Click the TRIM END button (or press Alt+]) to trim the end of the
event to the cursor position.

Scene/Edit Detection
When you need to re-edit a video that has already been rendered into a single file, you can
use the VEGAS Pro Scene Detection tool to simplify the process. Through the power of AI,
Scene Detection automatically detects cuts, fades, and crossfades in your video, then cuts
the video into separate timeline clip events or subclips in your Project Media window.

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Use the Scene Detection tool

1. Add a video to your timeline.

2. Option 1:

» Click the event’s MORE button and choose DETECT SCENES AND SPLIT
from the menu.
The tool analyzes the media in the event and detects scene changes. It then auto-
matically splits the event into separate events, each of which holds a distinct
detected scene.
- or -
Option 2:

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1. Click the VIDEO FX tab to open that window.

2. Select SCENE DETECTION from the list of effects.

3. Drag the DEFAULT preset onto the event in your timeline.

4. In the VIDEO EVENT FX window, click the ANALYZE button.

After the analysis is complete, a keyframe timeline appears and contains key-
frames at the location of each cut, fade, or dissolve. You may manually edit
these keyframes to fine tune your results.

Use the tool at the project media level

Click the PROJECT MEDIA tab if necessary to view that window.

Here you can either add the detected scenes to your timeline, or create subclips for each
individual detected scene.

Detect scenes and add them as separate events to your timeline:

Right-click the clip in the PROJECT MEDIA list and choose DETECT SCENES AND ADD TO
TIMELINE from the context menu.

The tool adds the file to your timeline at the current cursor location, detects the separate
scenes, and splits the event up into multiple events according to the detected scenes.

Create individual subclips in the Project Media bin without adding anything to your timeline:

Right-click the clip in the PROJECT MEDIA list and choose DETECT SCENES AND CREATE
SUBCLIPS from the context menu.

After analysis completes, the tool adds a new subclip to your bin for each individual scene
it detects.

Detect scenes from your Trimmer window:

Right-click your clip in the PROJECT MEDIA window and choose OPEN IN TRIMMER from
the context menu (or use one of the other methods for adding a clip to your Trimmer win-
dow).

Click the Trimmer window’s MORE button and choose DETECT SCENES AND ADD TO
TIMELINE from Cursor from the context menu.

Again, this results in individual events on the timeline for each detected scene.

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Add the tool as an effect to a timeline clip event:

This can be extremely useful if you want to break a nested timeline or project event on your
main timeline into individual events. It can also help when the more automatic methods dis-
cussed above don’t yield the results you need and you want to have a bit more control over
the process.

If you don’t get satisfactory results on the first analysis, Click the SENSITIVITIES drop-
down arrow to reveal the sensitivity controls. Adjust these controls and re-analyze the clip.
Experiment with different sensitivities until you get the result you want.

After you have successfully detected the edits in your video, click the Split button to apply
the detected edits to the clip on your timeline.

Create regions
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

You can automatically create regions that correspond to the detected scenes. There may
be a number of reasons that you’ll want to create regions, but one example is that you can
then use those regions with the Batch Render script to render out new files for each detec-
ted scene.

1. Run the Scene Detection Analyze function on a selected event.

2. When analysis is complete, click the Create Regions button. Regions are instantly
added in the timeline.

If you want separate events for each scene:

» Click the Split button.

- or-

If you want to render out individual files:

1. Choose TOOLS | SCRIPTING | BATCH RENDER.

2. In the BATCH RENDER script dialog box, select the RENDER REGIONS radio but-
ton, specify your other options, and click OK.

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Post-edit ripple
You can ripple the contents of the timeline following an edit after performing the following
tasks:
● Adjusting an event's length by trimming, slip-trimming, sliding, or time stretching.

● Moving events.

● Cutting events.

● Pasting events.

● Deleting events.

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Ripple Type Description

Ripples events, keyframes, and envelopes on tracks

Affected Tracks
where you performed the edit.

Ripples events, keyframes, and envelopes on tracks

where you performed the edit. This command also ripples
the following:
● Markers
Affected Tracks, Bus
● Regions
Tracks, Markers, and
Regions ● CD track and index markers

● Command markers

● Keyframes and envelopes on audio or video bus

tracks

Ripples events, keyframes, and envelopes on all tracks in

your project. This command also ripples the following:
● Markers

● Regions
All Tracks, Markers,
and Regions ● CD track and index markers

● Command markers

● Keyframes and envelopes on audio or video bus

tracks

TABLE Ripple types

Applying a post-edit ripple manually

1. Perform one of edits listed above. In the following example, the second event is
being trimmed, and the arrow above the timeline indicates where the post-edit
ripple will occur and the direction the affected events will move.

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The selected event contains a bright yellow border to indicate that it has been
selected and the timeline cursor flashes between white and black.

2. In the main menu, click EDIT | POST EDIT RIPPLE, and choose a ripple type (see
table Ripple types (p. 308)).
The contents of the timeline are rippled after the edit according to the option you
choose. In the following example, the post-edit ripple has closed the space
between the second and third events.

TIP Press F after an edit to ripple the affected tracks, press Ctrl+F to also
ripple markers, keyframes, and envelopes. To ripple everything after an edit,
press Ctrl+Shift+F.

Applying a post-edit ripples automatically

1. In the editing toolbar, select the AUTO RIPPLE button (or press Ctrl+L).

2. Click the down arrow next to the AUTO RIPPLE button and choose a ripple
type (see table Ripple types (p. 308)).

3. Perform one of edits listed above. In the following example, the second event is
being trimmed, and the arrow above the timeline indicates where the post-edit
ripple will occur and the direction the affected events move.

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NOTE When you engage AUTO RIPPLE mode, the event boarder that high-
lights a selected event turns from yellow to red. The timeline cursor also
changes to red. These indicators will help you avoid accidentally making ripple
edits when you’ve forgotten that you are in Auto Ripple mode.

The contents of the timeline are rippled after the edit according to the option you
choose. The post-edit ripple has closed the space between the second and third
events.

TIP
Adjust the appearance if you don't want to use these indicators.

1. Choose OPTIONS | PREFERENCES | EDITING tab.

2. Deselect the CHANGE CURSOR AND SELECTED EVENT COLOR WHEN IN

AUTO RIPPLE MODE check box.

Splitting events

Click the SPLIT button on the editing toolbar (or choose EDIT | SPLIT) to split one or
more selected events at the current cursor position.

Splitting an event allows you to adjust a small part of an event or break a single event into
multiple sections that you can edit independently. For example, you may want to apply an
effect to a section of an event and then return the event to its original setting.

1. Position the cursor where you want to split the events, or select a range of time.

2. Select the events you want to split.

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3. Click the SPLIT button on the editing toolbar (or choose EDIT | SPLIT):
● If no events are selected, the events located at the current cursor position
will be split throughout all of the tracks.
● If you create a time selection, events are split at each end of the time selec-
tion throughout all of the tracks.
● If you select events within a time selection, the selected events are split at
each end of the time selection.
● Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift while clicking an event to split it. Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift and
drag an event to split it at the point you click and trim the event in the dir-
ection you drag.

TIP Holding the Shift key temporarily overrides snapping if it is enabled.

Release the Shift key while dragging to snap the event to available snap
points.

Smart Splitting Events

Sometimes you want to cut out parts of a longer video recording, say an interview, shot
from a fixed camera position. Because the speaker's head has moved in the cut out part
but the rest of the picture stays unchanged, you would get a so-called "jump cut" where
the head jumps into the new position.

To conceal those cuts you can use the Smart Split command:

1. Select the event.

2. Make a time selection over the part that you want to be removed.

3. Choose SMART SPLIT from the EDIT menu, press Alt +S or click the Smart Split

button from the The Transport and Editing Toolbar (p. 51)

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4. The selected time is removed from the event, the second event is moved over the
first one for the short time span of five frames and a WARP FLOW transition is
applied. The two events are grouped.
The Warp Flow transition uses sophisticated optical flow technology to add new
intermediary frames that smoothly morph the last frame of the first event into the
first frame of the second event.

TIP This works best with no camera movement and no movement in the background of
the video.

Healing Events
If you accidentally split an event in two, it is possible to heal this split.

1. Select the two items: Click the first event, then hold the Ctrl key and click the
second event.

2. Right click one of the events end select HEAL

3. The events are combined into one again.

You can even heal a split when the events were moved and/or trimmed in the meantime
according to the following rules:

● The events have to be on the same track.

● The resulting event starts with the start frame of the first event and ends with the

end frame of the second one, no matter where the first one ends and the second
one starts (i.e. how big the gap between the two is).
● If the HEAL command option is grayed out (that means, healing is not possible):

Make sure the two events refer to the same media file and the order of the events
matches the position in the media the events refer to.

Closing gaps
You can quickly close the gaps between selected events.

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1. Select two or more events on a track.

2. Choose Menu EDIT or right-click on an empty space in the track or on one of the
selected events | CLOSE GAPS from the menu or context menu.

3. The second and all following selected events are moved towards the first one so
they will border at each order closing the gaps between them.

NOTE If no event is selected when performing this command all gaps on the
track will be closed.

Shuffling events
Much like ripple editing, shuffling events allows you to change the order of a sequence of
events with a single operation.

NOTE Ripple edit mode does not need to be active to shuffle events. For more
information, see Post-edit ripple (p. 307)

1. Right-click and drag an event to a new location on the timeline.

In this example, we'll drag event 3 between events 1 and 2.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose SHUFFLE EVENTS.

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After the shuffle, event 3 appears between events 1 and 2:

TIP

You can also use the Shuffle tool to shuffle events.

1. Select the Shuffle tool.

●
Click the down arrow next to the Normal tool and select SHUFFLE
TOOL.
● Choose EDIT | EDITING TOOL | SHUFFLE TOOL.

2. Drag an event to a new location on the timeline.

For more information, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Using the Trimmer

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | TRIMMER to toggle the display of the Trimmer window. The
Trimmer window allows you to select portions of a piece of media that can be placed into
events on tracks.

You can also create subclips in the Trimmer window. Subclips expand on the notion of
media file markers and regions: just as you might save markers or regions in a media file to
indicate an area of interest, you could create a subclip to mark a portion of a media file. A
subclip is available in the Project Media window and can be created as a reversed clip so
you can create events that play backward on the timeline.

When a media file is placed in the Trimmer window, any regions or markers that were pre-
viously stored in the media file are displayed in the Trimmer.

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TIP
● If you open a multichannel audio file in the Trimmer, you can choose which
channels you want to display in the Trimmer window: right-click the waveform
display, choose CHANNELS from the shortcut menu, and then choose a com-
mand from the submenu.
● If you open a multistream audio file in the Trimmer, you can choose which
stream you want to display in the Trimmer window: right-click the waveform
display, choose STREAM from the shortcut menu, and then choose a stream
from the submenu.
● If you want to edit in the Trimmer window without updating the Video Preview
window, right-click the media file in the Trimmer Window and clear the SHOW
VIDEO IN PREVIEW WINDOW command.
● The ruler, scrollbar, and zoom controls may not be visible if there is not enough
space to display them. Drag the horizontal splitter between the video monitor
and the Trimmer timeline to adjust the height of the timeline.
● When the scrollbar is hidden, you cannot zoom in or out on the waveform.

Trimmer Transport Tool Bar

By default the Trimmer Transport tool bar shows the Play, Pause, Stop, Add to timeline
from cursor, Fit to Fill, and the More button.

To access additional buttons click the More button and click the button you wish to
access.

To add a button to the Transport Toolbar:

1. Click the More button.

2. Click EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET.

3. Check the box next to the button to you would like to add, and click OK.
The button will now be visible each time you open the application.

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To remove a button from the Toolbar:

1. Click the More button.

2. Click EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET.

3. Uncheck the box next to the button to you would like to remove, and click OK.

Opening a media file in the Trimmer

Drag a file from the Windows Explorer, VEGAS Pro Explorer, or Project Media window to the
Trimmer window. This method is sometimes more convenient than placing the entire media
file on a track and then editing the event.

TIP
● You can automatically load a file into the Trimmer window by selecting the
DOUBLE-CLICK ON MEDIA FILE LOADS INTO TRIMMER INSTEAD OF TRACKS
checkbox on the General tab in the Preferences dialog. When this checkbox is
selected, no events are created when you double-click a media file in the
VEGAS Pro Explorer, or Project Media window. Instead, the Trimmer is dis-

played to allow you to choose the portion of the file you want to use. For
more information, see General Tab (p. 1109)
● If you want to open the original media file that was used to create a subclip in
the Trimmer, right-click a subclip in the Project Media window and choose
OPEN PARENT MEDIA IN TRIMMER from the shortcut menu.

Opening an event in the Trimmer

Right-click the event and choose OPEN IN TRIMMER from the shortcut menu.

If you want to open the original media file that was used to create a subclip in the Trimmer,
right-click an event and choose OPEN PARENT MEDIA IN TRIMMER from the shortcut
menu.

NOTE The entire media file—not just the contents of the current event—will be opened
in the Trimmer.

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Choosing Trimmer preview options

When you're editing in the Trimmer, you can choose to display video in the Video Preview
window or in a video monitor within the Trimmer.
● If you want to display the Trimmer cursor position in the Video Preview window,
right-click the media file in the Trimmer window and verify SHOW VIDEO
MONITOR is not selected and then right-click the media file in the Trimmer win-
dow and select SHOW VIDEO IN PREVIEW WINDOW.
When you click to position the cursor in the Trimmer window, the frame at the
cursor position will be displayed in the Video Preview window, and the transport
controls in the Trimmer window will play the current file in the Video Preview win-
dow.
● If you want to display a dedicated video monitor in the Trimmer window, right-
click the media file in the Trimmer window and select SHOW VIDEO MONITOR.
When the video monitor is on, you can -click the media file in the Trimmer window
and select SHOW VIDEO FRAMES to show or hide video frames in the Trimmer
timeline.
● If you want to display the Trimmer cursor position on an external monitor, select

the TRIMMER ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button .

If external monitor is enabled for the Trimmer and the Video Preview window,
focus will determine which source is sent to the external monitor: click in the Trim-
mer window to send its video to your external monitor; click the timeline or track
list to send its video to your external monitor.

TIP If SHOW VIDEO FRAMES is selected, press Ctrl+Shift+Up to give more space to the
video and Ctrl+Shift+Down to give more space to the audio. You can also right-click
the audio or video timeline and choose VIDEO HEIGHT LARGER, AUDIO HEIGHT
LARGER, or VIDEO AND AUDIO EQUAL HEIGHT from the shortcut menu.

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Choosing multichannel/multistream audio options

When you're working with multichannel or multistream audio in the Trimmer, you can
choose whether you want to add multichannel/multistream audio to the timeline when cre-
ating events.

Right-click the audio waveform in the Trimmer and select USE ALL STREAMS AND
CHANNELS to allow VEGAS Pro to determine which audio streams and channels to use:
● When using surround AC3 or Windows Media, the stereo downmix stream will be
used when adding media to a stereo project. When adding media to a 5.1 surround
project, the surround stream will be used.
● In other cases, all streams and all channels will be added to the timeline.

When USE ALL STREAMS AND CHANNELS is not selected, only the stream and channels
displayed in the Trimmer will be added to the timeline.

TIP When the IMPORT STEREO AS DUAL MONO checkbox is selected on the General
tab of the Preferences dialog, two-channel audio files will be added to the timeline as

separate mono audio events on separate tracks. For more information, see General
Tab (p. 1109)

The audio events are grouped, and tracks that are created by adding media will be panned
hard left and hard right. You can right-click the waveform in the Trimmer, choose
CHANNELS, and then choose a command from the submenu to choose which channel is
used for that event.

Moving frame by frame in the Trimmer window

As you navigate through a video file in the Trimmer, the exact frame that the cursor is over
in time is displayed as in a thumbnail image under the cursor. When using the left and right
arrow keys, this allows you to edit with frame accuracy.

You can also click the PREVIOUS FRAME and NEXT FRAME buttons to navigate
frames in the Trimmer window.

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TIP Click and hold the PREVIOUS FRAME and NEXT FRAME buttons to move the cursor
multiple frames.

Using hover scrub to navigate a clip

When ENABLE HOVER SCRUB is selected in the Trimmer shortcut menu, you can hover
your mouse over the Trimmer video monitor to preview a specific part of the clip. When you
start dragging, you start a selection (see next section).

TIP Hover Scrub is enabled by default. Right-click the Trimmer window and choose
ENABLE HOVER SCRUB to turn hover scrub off or on again. When hover scrub is off,
you can still scrub the clip by dragging the cursor in the Trimmer timeline.

Selecting data

Perform any of the following actions to select data in the Trimmer window:
● Use the transport controls to play your media file. Press I or [ to mark the begin-
ning of the selection, and press O or ] to mark the end of your selection.
● Drag in the Trimmer timeline or in the Video portion to select a range of data.
When you drag from left to right you set set the In Point first and drag to the Out
Point, when you drag from right to left the first click sets the Out Point and you
drag to the In Point.
● A double click on the Trimmer window resets the In and Out Points to the begin-

ning and end of the clip.

● If you know the timecode of the beginning and end of your selection, double-click
the boxes at the bottom of the Trimmer window and type timecode values.

NOTE To select only the audio or video portion of the media, right-click and choose
SELECT AUDIO ONLY or SELECT VIDEO ONLY from the shortcut menu, or you can
press Tab or Shift+Tab to cycle the selection among audio only, video only, or audio
and video.

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TIP If SHOW VIDEO FRAMES is selected in the Trimmer shortcut menu, press
Ctrl+Shift+Up to give more space to the video and Ctrl+Shift+Down to give more space
to the audio. You can also right-click the audio or video timeline and choose VIDEO
HEIGHT LARGER, AUDIO HEIGHT LARGER, or VIDEO AND AUDIO EQUAL HEIGHT from
the shortcut menu.

Adding media to the timeline

TIP When the IMPORT STEREO AS DUAL MONO checkbox is selected on the General
tab of the Preferences dialog, two-channel audio files will be added to the timeline as

separate mono audio events on separate tracks. For more information, see General
Tab (p. 1109)

The audio events are grouped, and tracks that are created by adding media will be panned
hard left and hard right. You can right-click the waveform in the Trimmer, choose
CHANNELS, and then choose a command from the submenu to choose which channel is
used for that event.

Dragging a selection to the timeline

1. Open a media file in the Trimmer.

2. Select the portion of the file that you want to use.

3. Drag the selection to the desired track. The selection becomes a new event on the
track. If the media file includes both audio and video, each is placed on a separate
track.

IMPORTANT Because media selection is also performed by dragging it is

important that you start dragging vertically to not accidentally destroy your
selection.

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Three-point editing

1. Open a media file in the Trimmer.

2. Mark the in and out points in your media file to create a selection:

1. Click the PLAY button in the Trimmer to start playback, or click to pos-
ition the cursor in the Trimmer timeline.

2. Press [ or I to mark the beginning of the selection.

3. Press ] or O to mark the end of the selection.

TIP You can also select two points in the timeline and a single point in the
Trimmer to perform three-point editing. In this mode, ripple editing is not
applied.

3. Position the cursor in the timeline where you want to add the event.

4. Click the ADD TO TIMELINE FROM CURSOR button to insert the selection after
the cursor position in the currently selected track, or click the ADD TO TIMELINE

UP TO CURSOR button to insert the selection before the cursor.

Four-point editing (using a Trimmer selection to fill a timeline selec-

tion)

1. Open a media file in the Trimmer.

2. Select the portion of the file that you want to use.

3. Select the portion of the timeline where you want to use the Trimmer selection.

4. Click the FIT TO FILL button . The Trimmer selection is time-compressed or

stretched to fill the timeline selection.

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Overwrite timeline events with the Trimmer selection

The standard behavior of the Trimmer is to perform punch-in edits on the timeline: when
you add media to the timeline, the events created by the Trimmer are laid over existing
events on the timeline. You can delete or move the events you create with the Trimmer
without changing the underlying events.

If you want to replace the contents of the timeline when creating events from the Trimmer,

select the ENABLE TIMELINE OVERWRITE button . When ENABLE TIMELINE

OVERWRITE is selected, ripple editing is not available.

Using the Trimmer History list

The drop-down box at the top of the Trimmer lists files and events that have been opened
in the Trimmer.

To open a recently used file, choose its file name from the Trimmer History drop-down list.

To sort the list, click the SORT TRIMMER HISTORY button . The files in the drop-down
list are sorted in alphabetical order. To sort in reverse alphabetical order, hold the Ctrl key
while clicking on the SORT TRIMMER HISTORY button.

To clear the list, click the CLEAR TRIMMER HISTORY button . All files in the history
drop-down list are removed.

To remove a single file from the list, click the REMOVE CURRENT MEDIA FROM TRIMMER

HISTORY button . The media file is removed from the Trimmer History drop-down list
and the Trimmer window is blank.

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Using markers and regions in the Trimmer

Adding markers or regions

1. Position the cursor or make a selection in the Trimmer window.

2. Press M (or click INSERT MARKER ) to place a marker or R (or click INSERT

REGION ) to place a region.

Trimmer markers and regions function identically to timeline markers and regions.

Saving Trimmer markers and regions

Click the SAVE MARKERS/REGIONS button . All markers and regions in the Trimmer are
saved back into the file.

If you want to automatically save markers and regions to the file, select the
AUTOMATICALLY SAVE TRIMMER MARKERS AND REGIONS WITH MEDIA FILE checkbox

on the General tab of the Preferences dialog. For more information, see General Tab
(p. 1109)

NOTE
● You cannot save markers and regions to a read-only file or to file types that
VEGAS Pro cannot render. If markers and regions cannot be saved, the SAVE
MARKERS/REGIONS button is unavailable.
● If the selected file type cannot save markers internally, VEGAS Pro will save
the metadata to an external file with an .sfl extension (using the same base
name as your media file).

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Viewing media markers and regions in events

From the View menu, choose EVENT MEDIA MARKERS to toggle the display markers
(including XDCAM essence marks) and regions that are saved in a media file. These mark-
ers are displayed in the timeline in events that refer to the media file.

Media markers and regions cannot be edited within the event. However, when you edit the
markers in markers and regions in the Trimmer window or in an external audio editor, the
event will reflect your changes.

Media markers/regions visible in Trimmer window

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Media markers/regions displayed in event

TIP
● From the View menu, choose EVENT MEDIA MARKERS, and then choose
SHOW MARKER LABELS from the submenu to toggle the display of marker
labels in events.
● When media markers are displayed, you can use them as snap points for pos-
itioning the cursor and for edge-trimming if SNAP TO MARKERS is selected on
the Options menu. If a media file's frame rate does not match your project
frame rate, frame quantization will occur after the snap if QUANTIZE TO

FRAMES is selected on the Options menu. For more information, see

Enable snapping (p. 290) and Quantize to frames (p. 293)

Opening audio in an external audio editor

Right-click the audio waveform and choose OPEN IN AUDIO EDITOR to start your selected
audio editor and open the audio event or audio portion of the file.

To change the default sound editor, click the BROWSE button next to the PREFERRED
AUDIO EDITOR box on the Audio tab of the Preferences dialog.

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Using subclips

Creating a subclip

1. Create a selection in the Trimmer window.

2. Click the CREATE SUBCLIP button . The Create Subclip dialog is displayed.

TIP When an event has been trimmed or split so it plays only a portion of an
event, you can also right-click the event in the timeline and choose CREATE
SUBCLIP from the shortcut menu to create a subclip using that portion of the
media file.

3. In the NAME box, type the name you want to use to identify the subclip in the Pro-
ject Media window. By default, the file name is used with a subclip number appen-
ded.

4. Select the REVERSE checkbox if you want the subclip to be played backward
when you add it to your project.

5. Click OK to create the subclip. You can then create events from subclip via the
Project Media window.

Selecting a subclip in its parent media

1. Right-click a subclip in the Project Media window and choose OPEN IN TRIMMER
from the shortcut menu.

2. Right-click the Trimmer window and choose SELECT PARENT MEDIA from the
shortcut menu. The subclip's original media file is opened in the Trimmer, and the
portion of the media that represents the subclip is selected.

TIP If you want to open the original media file that was used to create the subclip in the
Trimmer, right-click an event on the timeline (or a subclip in the Project Media window)
and choose OPEN PARENT MEDIA IN TRIMMER from the shortcut menu.

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Copying the current frame to the clipboard

Right-click the Trimmer window and choose COPY SNAPSHOT TO CLIPBOARD from the
shortcut menu to copy the current frame to the clipboard.

Saving the current frame as a file

Right-click the Trimmer window and choose SAVE SNAPSHOT TO FILE from the shortcut
menu to save the current frame as an image file.

The Save Snapshot to File dialog is displayed to allow you to choose the format and loc-
ation where you want to save the file. The file is automatically added to the Project Media
window.

Opening files in the Trimmer by default

You can automatically load files into the Trimmer window by selecting the DOUBLE-CLICK
ON MEDIA FILE LOADS INTO TRIMMER INSTEAD OF TRACKS checkbox on the General tab

in the Preferences dialog. For more information, see General Tab (p. 1109)

When this checkbox is selected, no events are created when you double-click a media file
in the VEGAS Pro Explorer or Project Media window. Instead, the Trimmer is displayed to
allow you to choose the portion of the file you want to use.

Adjusting an event's length

You can use any of the following methods to adjust events.

Trimming the start or end of an event with your mouse

With the Normal tool selected, drag either end of an event.

To make it easier to grab the edges of the event, handles are displayed as soon as you
move the mouse over them.

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You can deactivate the display of these handles by selecting the corresponding entry in

the MORE button of the event.

The event edge will snap to grid lines or markers if ENABLE SNAPPING is selected or will
snap to frame boundaries if QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is selected; you can hold the Shift key

while dragging to temporarily override the current snapping setting. For more inform-
ation, see Enable snapping (p. 290) and Quantize to frames (p. 293)

TIP Hold Shift while dragging the event edge to ignore event grouping for fast J and L
cuts.

NOTE If you drag the end of the event past the end of the media file, the event will
repeat if the LOOP event switch is turned on; if the switch is turned off, silence is

drawn. For more information, see Applying switches to events (p. 359)

Trimming an event to the cursor position

1. Select the Normal tool .

2. Select the event you want to trim.

3. Position the cursor at the point where you want the event to start or end.

4. Trim the start or end of the event:

●
Click the TRIM START button (or press Alt+[) to trim the start of the
event to the cursor position.

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●
Click the TRIM END button (or press Alt+]) to trim the end of the event to
the cursor position.

Using keyboard shortcuts to edge trim events

With this method, you can quickly jump through your project and adjust cuts until they're

perfectly synchronized. If you have an external multimedia controller, it's even easier.
For more information, see Using a multimedia controller (p. 508)

1. If you want downstream events to ripple as you trim, click the AUTO RIPPLE but-

ton to turn on Auto Ripple mode. For more information, see Post-edit
ripple (p. 307)

2. Select the event you want to trim.

3. Press [ or ] (or 7 or 9 on the numeric keypad) to move the cursor to the event edge
you want to trim. [ or 7 selects the beginning of an event or moves to the previous
event edge. ] or 9 selects the end of the event or moves to the next event edge. A
red bracket is displayed to indicate which event edge will be trimmed.

4. Use the 1, 3 and 4, 6 keys on the numeric keypad to trim the current event edge:
● Press 1 to trim one video frame left, or press 3 to trim one video frame right
(or hold Ctrl+Shift+Alt while rolling the mouse wheel).
● Press 4 to trim one screen pixel left, or press 6 to trim one pixel right (or hold
Ctrl+Shift while rolling the mouse wheel). Depending on the current zoom
level, the trim duration will vary.
● Hold Ctrl while pressing 1 to time compress one frame left, or press 3 to time
stretch one frame right.

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● Hold Ctrl while pressing 4 to time compress one pixel left, or press 6 to time
stretch one pixel right.
● Hold Alt while pressing 1 to slip trim (the media moves with the event edge)
one frame left, or press 3 to slip trim one frame right.
● Hold Alt while pressing 4 to slip trim one pixel left, or press 6 to slip trim one
pixel right.
● Hold Ctrl+Alt while pressing 1 to slide a crossfade or transition one frame
left, or press 3 to slide one frame right (adjacent trim).
● Hold Ctrl+Alt while pressing 4 to slide a crossfade or transition one pixel left,
or press 6 to slide one pixel right (adjacent trim).

TIP
Pressing 5 on the numeric keypad exits edge-trimming mode. If you are not in
edge-trimming mode, press 1, 3, 4, and 6 on the numeric keypad to nudge
events on the timeline by frame (1 and 3) or by pixel (4 and 6).

Hold Shift while dragging the event edge to ignore event grouping for fast J
and L cuts.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as necessary.

Trimming adjacent events

Use the Slide tool or h old Ctrl+Alt while dragging the event edge between two events.

The mouse pointer is displayed as a an . The edges of the selected event and the adja-
cent event are trimmed simultaneously in the direction you drag.

TIP Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift while dragging the event edge between two events to ignore
event grouping for fast J and L cuts. If you are using the Slide tool, hold Shift to ignore
event grouping.

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Trimming all but the selected portion of an event

1. Drag to make a timeline selection (or hold down the Shift key and use the arrow
keys to make the selection).

2. Click the TRIM button (or press Ctrl+T) to delete all data outside of the selec-

tion. For more information, see Trimming events (p. 303)

Time-stretching an event

NOTE The RESAMPLE AND STRETCH QUALITY setting on the Audio tab of the Project
Properties dialog determines the quality of processing when time-stretching audio

events. For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

To change the duration of an event without changing its contents, use the Time

Stretch/Compress tool or hold Ctrl while dragging the right or left edge of an event.

The mouse pointer is displayed as a . You can use the TIME STRETCH/PITCH SHIFT con-
trols in the Event Properties dialog to specify whether the pitch of an audio event will be

preserved while stretching. For more information, see Editing event properties (p. 370)

As you drag the edge of a video event, a zigzag line is displayed between video frames to
show you that the event has been stretched:

For more information about the Time Stretch/Compress tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

If ACTIVE TAKE INFORMATION is selected from the View menu, audio events will display a
percentage in the lower-right corner of the event to indicate the playback rate after stretch-
ing. If the media has a known tempo, the effective playback tempo (after stretching) is lis-
ted in parentheses after the stretch amount.

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TIP You can also use the Slow Motion plug-in for a high quality slow motion effect!

Slip-trimming an event

Use the Slip tool or hold Alt while dragging the right or left edge of an event. The slip-

trim cursor is displayed.

As you drag the event edge, the opposite edge of the event will remain fixed, trimming the
media from the edge you drag.

TIP
● Use the Slip tool or hold Shift or hold Alt+Shift while dragging any portion of an
event to slip-trim the right edge. The left edge of the event will remain fixed on
the timeline, and the media is slipped past the left edge of the event. This slip
mode is useful when you want to slip an event without changing its last frame.

●
Use the Split Trim tool or hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift and drag an event to split it at
the point you click and trim the event in the direction you drag (eraser mode).

For more information, see Slipping and sliding events (p. 336)

Holding the Shift key temporarily overrides snapping if it is enabled. Release

the Shift key while dragging to snap the event to available snap points.
For more information about the Split Trim tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)
● If you want to slip all of an event's takes when slipping media, choose SLIP ALL

TAKES from the Options menu. For more information, see Using takes as
alternate versions of events (p. 353)

For more information about the Slip tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

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Event Length Display

You can display the length of an event in the event header.

Adding a Event Length button to the event header

1. Click the MORE button and choose EDIT VISIBLE BUTTON SET from the list.

2. Click the EVENT LENGTH checkbox.

Expanded edit mode

Expanded edit mode takes the best of edge-trimming and A/B-roll editing to provide a fast,
accurate method of trimming events.

1. Select the event you want to edit.

2. Perform any of the following actions to enter expanded edit mode:

● Choose EDIT | SELECT | ENTER EXPANDED EDIT MODE.

● Press 5 on the numeric keypad.

● Double-click the event edge.

In expanded edit mode, a red bracket is displayed to indicate which event edge
will be trimmed, and the track is displayed in an A/B roll: events before the edit
point are displayed in the A roll and subsequent events are displayed on the B roll.
Additional frames available for editing are shown on the other side of the edit
point:

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The Video Preview window displays a split-screen preview so you can monitor
frames on both sides of the edit point.

3. Drag event edges of the edit point or use the 1, 3 and 4, 6 keys on the numeric
keypad to trim the current event edge:

● Drag the transition/crossfade between two events — or drag the cut arrow
between the track layers — to perform an adjacent trim. Red brackets are
drawn on both event edges to indicate that both events are being trimmed.
You can also hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging an event edge to perform an adja-
cent trim.
● Press 1 to trim one video frame left, or press 3 to trim one video frame right
(or hold Ctrl+Shift+Alt while rolling the mouse wheel).
● Press 4 to trim one screen pixel left, or press 6 to trim one pixel right (or hold
Ctrl+Shift while rolling the mouse wheel). Depending on the current zoom
level, the trim duration will vary.
● Hold Ctrl while pressing 1 to time compress one frame left, or press 3 to time
stretch one frame right.
● Hold Ctrl while pressing 4 to time compress one pixel left, or press 6 to time
stretch one pixel right.

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● Hold Alt while pressing 1 to slip trim (the media moves with the event edge)
one frame left, or press 3 to slip trim one frame right.
● Hold Alt while pressing 4 to slip trim one pixel left, or press 6 to slip trim one
pixel right.
● Hold Ctrl+Alt while pressing 1 to slide a crossfade or transition one frame
left, or press 3 to slide one frame right (adjacent trim).
● Hold Ctrl+Alt while pressing 4 to slide a crossfade or transition one pixel left,
or press 6 to slide one pixel right (adjacent trim).

TIP Pressing 5 on the numeric keypad exits expanded edit mode. If you are not
in expanded edit mode, press 1, 3, 4, and 6 on the numeric keypad to nudge
events on the timeline by frame (1 and 3) or by pixel (4 and 6).

4. You can select the next point you want to edit using either of the following meth-
ods:
● Click another event edge on the timeline.

● Click the indicator between the A and B roll:

● Press [ or ] (or 7 or 9 on the numeric keypad) to move the cursor to the event
edge you want to trim.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed.

6. To exit expanded edit mode and return to the previous window layout; perform
any of the following actions:
● Choose EDIT | SELECT | EXIT EXPANDED EDIT MODE.

● Press 5 on the numeric keypad.

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● Double-click the event edge.

● Press Esc.

For more information, see Saving and recalling window layouts (p. 66)

Slipping and sliding events

To help you picture what happens when you slip and slide events, think of an event as a
window to a media file. The window can display the entire media file or a small section.
When the window displays only a portion of the media file, you can move either the window
or the underlying media to adjust the media that is played by an event:
● When you slip an event, your event maintains its place on the timeline, but the
media file moves in the direction you drag.
● When you slide an event, the media file maintains its place on the timeline, but the
event moves in the direction you drag.

TIP If you want to slip all of an event's takes when slipping media, make sure SLIP ALL

TAKES is selected in the Options menu. For more information, see Using takes as
alternate versions of events (p. 353)

Shifting the contents of (slipping) an event

Use the Slip tool or hold Alt while dragging an event. The slip cursor is displayed.

As you drag the event, the contents of the event shift, but the event will not move. You can
use this technique when you want to maintain an event's length and position, but have the
event play a different section of the source media file.

For more information about the Slip tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

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Slip-trimming an event

Use the Slip tool or hold Alt while dragging the right or left edge of an event. The slip-

trim cursor is displayed.

As you drag the event edge, the opposite edge of the event will remain fixed, trimming the
media from the edge you drag.

TIP
● Use the Slip tool and hold Shift or hold Alt+Shift while dragging any portion of
an event to slip-trim the right edge. The left edge of the event will remain fixed
on the timeline, and the media is slipped past the left edge of the event. This
slip mode is useful when you want to slip an event without changing its last
frame.

●
Use the Split Trim tool or hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift and drag an event to split it at
the point you click and trim the event in the direction you drag (eraser mode).
Holding the Shift key temporarily overrides snapping if it is enabled. Release
the Shift key while dragging to snap the event to available snap points.
For more information about the Split Trim tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)
● If you want to slip all of an event's takes when slipping media, choose SLIP ALL

TAKES from the Options menu. For more information, see Using takes as
alternate versions of events (p. 353)

For more information about the Slip tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Sliding an event

Use the Slide tool or hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging an event. The slide cursor is dis-
played.

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As you drag, the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and the event
position changes. You can use this technique when you want to maintain an event's length,
but have the event play a different section of the source media file at a different point in
your project.

For more information about the Slide tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Sliding a crossfade or transition

Use the Slide tool or hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging the overlapping area between two

events. The slide cursor is displayed.

As you drag, the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and crossfade
position changes, effectively trimming the edge of the event in the direction you drag. You
can use this technique when you want to maintain the length of two combined events, but
want the transition to occur earlier or later.

For more information about the Slide tool, see Editing Tool (p. 231)

Repairing audio/video synchronization offsets

When audio and video events (or events from multichannel audio files) are not aligned,
VEGAS Pro will highlight the events in the timeline so you can see synchronization prob-
lems at a glance.

The software determines whether events are synchronized by comparing grouped and
overlapping events:
● An event in a group is compared to other events in the same group (of the oppos-
ite media type) that were created from the same media, and the events with the
most overlap are used to calculate synchronization. If no events overlap, the
closest events are used to calculate synchronization.
● An event that is not in a group is compared to events (of the opposite media type)
that were created from the same media, and the events with the most overlap are
used to calculate synchronization. If no events overlap, no synchronization offset
is displayed.

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In the following example, the overlapping audio and video events were both cre-
ated from KayakandWhale 001.avi and will be compared to determine syn-
chronization.

NOTE The amount of offset is displayed when ACTIVE TAKE INFORMATION is selected
from the View menu. Very small offsets that are below the resolution of the timeline
may be displayed as 0.00. Set the project time format to samples to see the offset
amount. For more information, see Time ruler (p. 62)

To restore synchronization, right-click the audio or video event you want to synchronize,
choose SYNCHRONIZE from the shortcut menu, and then choose a command from the sub-
menu:

Item Description

Moves the event you clicked so it is synchronized to its corresponding

audio or video event.

By Mov- In the sample events above, the audio event would move to the left if
ing you right-clicked it and chose SYNCHRONIZE | BY MOVING.

If you right-clicked the video event and chose SYNCHRONIZE | BY

MOVING, it would move to the right.

Slips the contents of the event you clicked so the audio and video are
synchronized. The events do not move, but the contents of the event
By Slip- you right-click are shifted forward or backward to restore syn-
ping chronization.

For more information about slipping, see Slipping and sliding events (p.
336)

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Add missing streams

If you had loaded a video file with audio streams via the VIDEO ONLY or AUDIO ONLY
option or if you deleted one of the two media events referring to a video file (by ungrouping
it first or with EDIT | GROUP | REMOVE FROM) you can quickly recreate the media event
for the missing audio or video stream that is stored in the media file.

1. Right-click the event and choose ADD MISSING STREAM FOR SELECTED EVENT.

2. A new track is created directly below (audio stream) or above (video stream) the
clicked event containing an event of the same length and start time with the cor-
responding media stream.
The two events are grouped

MORE INFORMATION
Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

Event envelopes
You can apply envelopes to audio and video events to change settings over time:
● Audio event envelopes allow you to control an event's fade-in, fade-out, and over-
all level.
● Video event envelopes allow you to control an event's fade-in, fade-out, opacity,
and velocity.

NOTE An envelope is specific to the track upon which it is applied. Event-specific envel-
opes will be calculated after the track fader.

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TIP
Select EVENT FADE LENGTHS from the View menu if you want to display fade lengths
in selected events:

Adjusting an audio event's volume

1. Hover over the top of an audio event.

2. When you see the envelope cursor ( ), drag the volume line to the desired level.
As you drag the line, the event’s gain is displayed in dB.

TIP
● Hold Ctrl(or hold the right mouse button) while dragging the sustain por-
tion of the envelope to adjust the value in fine increments.
● When you have multiple events selected, the gain of all selected events
is adjusted simultaneously.

Fading an audio event in or out

1. Hover over upper-left or upper-right corner of an audio event until the cursor is

displayed as a .

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NOTE Fades between overlapping events cannot be adjusted when automatic

crossfades are enabled. For more information, see Automatic crossfades

(p. 289)

2. Click the corner of the event and drag to create a fade.

To remove a fade, drag the end of the fade curve back to the edge of the event.

TIP When you have multiple events selected, the fade of all selected events is
adjusted simultaneously.

Adjusting a video event's opacity

Opacity envelopes adjust the transparency of an event, allowing it to fade in over a back-
ground. This background can be another video event or a background color.

For more information about compositing, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

1. Hover over the top of a video event.

2. When you see the envelope cursor ( ), drag the opacity line to the desired level.
As you drag the line, the event’s opacity is displayed as a percentage. As opacity
decreases, the event becomes more transparent.

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TIP
● Hold Ctrl(or hold the right mouse button) while dragging to adjust the
envelope in fine increments.
● When you have multiple events selected, the opacity of all selected
events is adjusted simultaneously.

Fading a video event in or out

You can adjust the opacity at the beginning and end of a video event to fade in or out over
a background. This background can be another video event or a background color.

For more information about compositing, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

1. Hover over upper-left or upper-right corner of a video event until the cursor is dis-

played as a .

NOTE Fades between overlapping events cannot be adjusted when automatic

crossfades are enabled. For more information, see Automatic crossfades

(p. 289)

2. Click the corner of the event and drag to create a fade.

To remove a fade, drag the end of the fade curve back to the edge of the event.

TIP When you have multiple events selected, the fade of all selected events is
adjusted simultaneously.

Adjusting a video event's velocity

Velocity envelopes are used to change the speed of a video event over time. For example,
you could use a velocity envelope to play a clip in slow motion.

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Each video event in your project has a specific duration that is not changed by velocity
envelopes. Therefore, if you decrease the speed of a ten-second video event by 50%, only
five seconds of video will be shown. On the other hand, if the speed is increased 200%, the
ten seconds of video will play in only five seconds. The remaining five seconds of the event
will be filled either with a freeze of the last frame or with ten additional seconds of video
content from the media file.

1. Right-click a video event, choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut

menu, and then choose VELOCITY from the submenu. A velocity envelope is
drawn on the event.

2. Drag the envelope up to increase the playback speed of the event, or drag down
to decrease its speed.

TIP
● Right-click an envelope point and choose a command from the shortcut
menu to choose from velocity presets from 100% reverse-speed play-
back to 0% playback (a freeze-frame effect) up to 300% (triple-speed)
playback.
● Setting a velocity envelope to a negative value will cause the event to
play in reverse. Video events can only be reversed if there is media to
reverse: an event cannot be reversed past the beginning of a media file.
An event that has been reversed will play backward until it gets to the
first frame and will then hold that frame for the duration of the event.

Adding a transition progress envelope

Normally, a transition progresses from 0 to 100% in a linear fashion over the length of the
transition. A transition progress envelope gives you complete control over a transition: you
can hold, reverse, and repeat individual transitions.

1. Select a transition.

2. From the Insert menu, choose VIDEO ENVELOPES, and then choose TRANSITION
PROGRESS from the submenu. An envelope is added to your transition.

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3. Add points and adjust the fade curves as desired. For more information, see
Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)
In the following example, the transition starts, progresses to 50%, reverses dir-
ection, and then finishes.

Changing the fade curve type

1. Hover over the edge of a fade until the cursor is displayed as a , or hover over
an envelope segment.

2. Right-click to display the FADE TYPES shortcut menu, and choose a fade type to
set the speed of the fade.

Adding a Freeze Frame at Cursor Position

Sometimes you might want a video to stop momentarily, e.g. for inserting a title or a special
transition. To stop the motion quickly, use the FREEZE FRAME AT CURSOR command.

1. Place the cursor where you want the freeze frame to occur.

2. Right click the video event and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE | FREEZE
FRAME AT CURSOR.

A velocity curve is added at the cursor position and the velocity is set to 0 which results in
a still frame that is kept until the end of the video event.

The command is also available from the event's MORE button, so if you use this feature
often, you can add a button on the event's header so you can create you freeze frames

with one click. .

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For more information, see Track List (p. 45)

TIP Hint:

You can add a freeze frame to multiple events accros multipe tracks simulteanously:

1. Place the cursor where you want the freeze frame to happen in all the events

2. Ctrl+click each event to select multiple events.

3. Right-click anyone of the selected events and choose INSERT/REMOVE

ENVELOPE | FREEZE FRAME AT CURSOR.

Stabilizing Video Clips

Video stabilization smooths out undesired picture movements by negating inadvertent
movements in the image. This produces unusable edges in the footage that are cropped
off automatically by zooming into the picture. The result: A more stable picture at a nearly
imperceptibly increased zoom level.

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Event FX or Media FX?

You can use the video stabilization either as a Media FX or as an Event FX.

Event Media

The motion analysis is done over the

Only the section of the media file referred
whole media file and can take a long
by the event is analyzed.
time

Changing the event's start and/or time in The motion analysis covers the whole
the media file makes the analysis invalid file so event editing is possible after
and it has to be repeated. applying stabilization.

Point visualization options are available in Point visualization in Expert mode is

Expert Mode. not available

When using as a Media FX:

1. In the PROJECT MEDIA window, select the video you want to stabilize.

2. From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and then choose MEDIA FX (or right-click a
media file in the Project Media window and choose MEDIA FX from the shortcut
menu). The Plug-In Chooser is displayed.

TIP
If you're using only a portion of a longer media file, you can use the Trimmer window to
create a sub-clip that contains only the portion of the media that is used in your project.
Stabilizing a sub-clip requires less processing than stabilizing a full media file.

For more information, see Using the Trimmer (p. 314)

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TIP You can access the Media FX also via the MORE button of a video event, where
you also can add a button for it in the event header. The Media FX button in the header

also functions as an indicator, whether a Media FX is applied ( ) or not ( ).

When using as an Event FX:

1. Click the Event FX button at the event. The Plug-In Chooser is displayed.

2. In the Plug-In Chooser, select the VIDEO STABILIZATION plug-in and click the
ADD button. The Media FX dialog displays the VIDEO STABILIZATION plug-in.

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Complexity Levels
Video stabilization can work in three different complexity levels. Switch between these
levels with the USER VIEW drop-down list. In the initial BASIC view there are few controls
and most everything works automatically. If you don't get the results you want in Basic
mode, click the Reset button and switch to either Professional or Expert mode to try again.

Here we proceed to explain the controls that are revealed when you chose the
PROFESSIONAL mode. The EXPERT view has even more controls which are covered at
the end of this section.

» In the PARAMETERS section:

◉ Choose either FAST or ACCURATE mode from the drop-down menu to spe-
cify whether you want faster or more accurate analysis.
◉ With MOTION COMPENSATION you chose which kind of motion in the video
is taken into account when analyzing the motion compensation.

» Click ANALYZE MOTION to start the analysis. The process will take some time
depending upon the chosen mode, the length of the file, and other factors. When
the analysis is complete, the stabilization is automatically applied to your media.

NOTE You cannot change the method of the analysis without doing the ana-
lysis again. For this, click CLEAR MOTION DATA to discard the motion analysis,
make your changes and run the analysis again.

» Start the playback of the clip and check the result of the stabilization. Perform any
necessary adjustments in the STABILIZATION OPTIONS and Borders section para-
meters.
There are two different modes of stabilization available, SMOOTH MOTION and
FREEZE MOTION
SMOOTHING The camera movement always consists of many small, fast, and unin-
tentional movements and shaking, along with any intentional movements like
pans, zooms or travel that must be kept. Smoothing is the parameter that helps to
define how much "unsteadiness" should be kept in a scene, the higher that factor
is, the more the movements are smoothed.

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FREEZE MOTION In the Freeze motion mode it is assumed that there was no inten-
ded camera movement at all in the scene. Select one frame of the video with the
REFERENCE FRAME NUMBER slider that defines the reference view that should
be kept. All other frames before and after this frame will be transformed according
to the detected motion to keep this view.
BORDERS: When the picture is moved in one direction to compensate for an unin-
tended camera movement black borders will appear at the opposite edge. To
avoid this, the picture is zoomed by a certain amount that is set by the
ADDITIONAL ZOOM factor. An optimal value for ADDITIONAL ZOOM is calculated
when the AUTO ZOOM box is checked, but you can freely change this value to
keep as much image information as possible. You can further fine tune this with
the ADDITIONAL ROTATION and ADDITIONAL TRANSLATION parameters. Keep in
mind that these parameters are automatable, so you can apply these corrections
only where they are necessary.
EDGE FILLING: For the cases where borders cannot be avoided, you can define
how these borders are filled to make the zoom as unnoticeable as possible:
◉ TRANSPARENT:
Results in black borders (or video from the track below showing through).
◉ MIRROR PADDING:
The video content is mirrored at the edge.
◉ REPEAT:
The video content is repeated from the opposite edge of the video.
◉ CLAMP TO EDGE:
The last usable pixel is repeated.

TIP You can also automate the Edge Filling mode.

MOTION BLUR: In addition to stabilizing the video, you can add motion blur to it. Motion
blur occurs when a camera was moved quickly like in a fast pan shot. Because this "error"
is so familiar, pan shots from modern cameras that don't have motion blur, such as those in
mobile phones, look unnatural to us.

Activate ADD MOTION BLUR to create artificial motion blur from the detected camera
movement. You can adjust how quickly the motion blur starts on a pan with the
THRESHOLD, which specifies how far (i. e. how many pixels) the camera has to be moved
from one frame to the next for motion blurring to start.

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Additional controls of the Expert mode

In Expert mode you get additional controls to fine tune the analysis accuracy with internal
parameters of the analysis algorithm. When you switch between the ACCURATE and FAST
methods you see that they are in fact just preset combinations of these parameters and
thus many more combinations are possible to find the best working one for your specific
footage.

SMOOTHING PARAMETERS animation: Expert mode provides additional Smoothing con-

trol parameters. Animate buttons for each of the different components of detected
motion enable you to activate or de-activate each motion component separately over time
to even better separate intended from unintended motion.

VISUALIZATION: Click SHOW POINTS to see points of interest (feature points) and their
tracking vectors over the next frames. The track length of the vector indicates the number
of frames a feature point could be tracked though the video. To hide points with a shorter
track length increase the MINIMUM TRACK LENGTH value, so you see only points with a
longer track length that are more likely the correctly tracked ones.

The feature point visualization has some restrictions:

● It works only when Video Stabilization is applied as an Event FX

● The point data are not stored in the project file, so feature points are only avail-
able after the analysis until the end of the session. If you want to see them later in
a saved project, you have to clear and re-analyze the motion data.
● There's no real-time update of the point visualization during video playback, but
you can seek on the timeline to see the points in a different part of the video.

Reversing an event
Reversed events are perfect for backward guitar solos, creating the illusion of turning back
time, or whatever else you can dream up. The event plays backward on the timeline
without affecting the source media.

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1. Right-click an audio or video event in the timeline.

2. Choose REVERSE from the shortcut menu. The event is reversed on the timeline,
and a subclip is created in the Project Media list for the reversed event. For more
information about subclips, see Using the Trimmer (p. 314)
An arrow is displayed on the event to indicate that it has been reversed:

Using takes as alternate versions of events

You can use takes to associate multiple media files with an event.

For example, if you create multiple versions of a voiceover event or multiple camera angles
of a video event, you can maintain all the takes in your project. By specifying which take
should be used before playback or rendering, you can maintain several drafts of your pro-
ject in a single project file.

For information about using takes for multicamera editing, please see Editing multicamera
video (p. 438)

TIP
● When you open a copy of an event in a sound editor, VEGAS Pro automatically

creates a copy of the event and saves it as a take within the event. For
more information, see Opening a copy of an event in an audio editor (p. 369)
● If you want to slip all of an event's takes when slipping media, make sure SLIP

ALL TAKES is selected in the Options menu. For more information, see Slip-
ping and sliding events (p. 336)

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Creating an event with multiple takes

1. In the Project Media or Explorer window, hold Ctrl or Shift while clicking the media
files you want to use as takes.

2. Right-click and drag the media files to the location on the timeline. A shortcut
menu is displayed when you release the mouse button.

3. From the shortcut menu, choose ADD AS TAKES.

A single event is created, but you can choose which of the media files you want
the event to play by choosing the active take for the event.

Adding a take to an event

1. Right-click and drag the media file from the Project Media or Explorer window to
an event on the timeline. A shortcut menu is displayed when you release the
mouse button.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose ADD AS TAKES.

The media file is added to the event as the active take, and the original media file
remains in your project as a take.

Choosing the active take in an event

1. Right-click the event that contains the takes.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose TAKE, and select CHOOSE ACTIVE from the sub-
menu. The Take Chooser dialog box appears.

3. Click the take you want to use and click OK.

Click the PLAY and STOP buttons in the Take Chooser dialog box to pre-
view takes.

Deleting the active take in an event

From the Edit menu, choose TAKE, and choose DELETE ACTIVE from the submenu.

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Deleting a take from an event

1. Right-click the event that contains the take.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose TAKE, and choose DELETE from the submenu.
The Take Chooser dialog box appears.

3. Click the take you want to delete and click OK.

Switching between takes

1. Right-click the event that contains the takes.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose TAKE, and choose either NEXT TAKE or
PREVIOUS TAKE from the submenu.

TIP Press T or Shift+T to choose the next or previous take for the selected
event.

Displaying take information in events

From the View menu, choose ACTIVE TAKE INFORMATION to display the current take
information on events in the timeline.

Pitch shifted audio events will display the amount of pitch Shift in the bottom-left corner of
the event. If the media has a known root note, the new root is displayed in parentheses.

Stretched audio events will display a percentage in the lower-right corner of the event to
indicate the stretched playback rate. If the media has a known tempo, the effective play-
back tempo (after stretching) is listed in parentheses after the stretch amount.

Audio and video events that are not synchronized will be highlighted in the timeline, and
the amount of offset will be displayed. Very small offsets that are below the resolution of
the timeline may be displayed as 0.00. Set the project time format to samples to see the off-
set amount.

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For more information, see Repairing audio/video synchronization offsets (p. 339) and
Time ruler (p. 62)

Grouping events
After you've arranged your events so they're just where you want them, you can create
groups to lock the events together. Once grouped, you may apply editing tasks to the
entire group of events.

TIP When the CUT, COPY, AND DELETE GROUPED EVENTS checkbox on the Editing
tab of the Preferences dialog is selected, cutting, copying, or deleting an event will

affect all events in the same group. For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

Creating a group of events

1. Select the events you want to group together.

2. From the Edit menu, choose GROUP, and choose CREATE NEW from the submenu
(or press G).

NOTE When you add media to the timeline, the events for the audio and video stream
are grouped automatically.

Adding an event to an existing group

1. Right-click an event in the existing group, choose GROUP from the shortcut menu,
and choose SELECT ALL from the submenu to select all of the members of the
group.

2. Press Ctrl and click the event to be added to the group.

3. Right-click the event, choose GROUP from the shortcut menu, and choose
CREATE NEW from the submenu.

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NOTE Events can only be in one group at a time. Adding an event to an existing group
essentially clears the old group and creates a new one that includes all of the selected
events.

Removing an event from a group

Right-click the event you want to remove, choose GROUP from the shortcut menu, and
choose REMOVE FROM from the submenu. The event is removed from the group.

Clearing a group

You can ungroup all events by clearing the entire group. Clearing a group does not remove
events from your project.

Right-click one of the members of the group, choose GROUP, and choose CLEAR from the
submenu.

Temporarily ignoring grouping

Select the IGNORE EVENT GROUPING button (or press Ctrl+Shift+U) to override event
groups without removing the groups.

To move a single object of a group without moving the other group members:

1. Click and hold the right mouse button.

2. Click the left mouse button and drag the object to the new position.

3. Release both mouse buttons.

NOTE This works only with the Normal Edit Tool.

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Cutting, copying, or deleting grouped events

1. Select the events you want to cut or delete.

2. From the Edit menu, choose GROUP, and choose CUT ALL, COPY ALL, or DELETE
ALL from the submenu. The selected events and any events that are grouped with
the selected events are deleted or copied/cut to the clipboard.

Using sync links

Sync links are like one-way event groups. A linked event stays synchronized with the event
to which it is linked, but not the other way around. Linked events do not contribute to the
affected tracks for ripple editing. Sync links are useful for keeping additional audio mix and
video compositing elements in sync with the main events in your project.

Linked events are displayed shorter and vertically aligned with the synchronized event.
When you select an event that has linked events, the linked events are outlined in purple.

In this example, the events on track 2 are linked with the event on track 1.

When you move the event on track 1, the events on track 2 will stay in sync.

You can move the linked events on track 2 without affecting the location of the event on
track 1.

Creating a sync link

1. Select the events you want to link.

2. Right-click the event that should be the synchronized event and choose CREATE
SYNC LINK WITH SELECTED EVENTS from the shortcut menu.

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Removing a sync link

1. Select the events in the sync link.

TIP To quickly select all events in a sync link, right-click one event in the sync
link, choose SYNC LINK from the shortcut menu, and then choose SELECTALL
from the submenu.

2. Right-click the event that should be the sync event and choose REMOVE SYNC
LINK FROM SELECTED EVENTS from the shortcut menu.

Unlinking an event in a sync link

1. Select the event you want to unlink from a sync link.

2. Right-click the event, choose SYNC LINK from the shortcut menu, and then
choose UNLINK from the submenu.

Selecting all events in a sync link

1. Select one event in the sync link.

2. Right-click the event, choose SYNC LINK from the shortcut menu, and then
choose SELECT ALL from the submenu.

Applying switches to events

Event switches determine the behavior of events on the timeline.

From the Edit menu, choose SWITCHES and choose a command from the submenu to
toggle event switches on or off.

NOTE You can also adjust event switches in the Event Properties dialog. For more
information, see Editing event properties (p. 370)

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1. Select the event(s). For more information, see Creating selections and pos-
itioning the cursor (p. 240)

2. From the EDIT menu, choose SWITCHES (or right-click an event and choose
SWITCHES from the shortcut menu).

3. Select the type of switch you want to apply to the event:

Switch Description

Excludes the selected event from playback.

Muted events are darkened on the timeline to indic-
ate their muted state. In the following example, the
middle events are muted:
Mute

Locks an event so that it cannot be moved or

edited.

Lock
TIP Click the LOCK button on the editing
toolbar to quickly lock and unlock a selected
event on the timeline.

Enabling the LOOP switch on an event will allow

you to drag the right edge of the event out and
Loop
have it repeat the file over and over rather than
inserting silence.

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Switch Description

This event switch enables you to automatically

adjust the length of a timeline clip event so that it
includes all of the frames of the media that the
event holds. This comes in particularly handy
when you’ve changed the playback rate of an
event either through the Playback Rate event prop-
erty or with a velocity envelope on the event.
After activating this switch, add a velocity envel-
ope and experiment with the speed settings. After
you change the velocity, the event automatically
trims so that it is long enough to show all frames of
the media.
Trim Events to include
all frames Alternatively, you can set the switch in the event
properties dialog box. Right-click an event and
choose Properties from the menu.
If you also decided to change the playback rate in
the dialog box, the event's length automatically
adjusts as necessary to contain all of the media’s
frames.

NOTE Selecting this switch makes it impossible

to trim the length of an event by adjusting an
event edge. If you need to trim the event, dis-
able the switch.

Reverses the phase of the sound data. Although

Invert Phase (audio inverting data does not make an audible difference
only) in a single file, it can prevent phase cancellation
when mixing or crossfading audio signals.

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Switch Description

Maximizes an audio event’s volume without clip-

ping.
If you want to recalculate the normalization value
for the selected event, click the RECALCULATE
button on the Event Properties dialog to determine
the normalization value for the selected event. If
you trim or extend a normalized event, you will
want to recalculate the normalization to account
for the different audio levels that may have been
Normalize (audio
exposed.
only)
Use the NORMALIZE button in the More menu of
an event for easier access. The button also
provides a visual cue that you can use to instantly
determine whether or not the Normalize switch
has been engaged on any event.

Prevents aspect ratio distortion (stretching of

Maintain Aspect Ratio video frames) when the length-to-width ratio
(video only) between the source media and project's frame
size are not the same.

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Switch Description

This switch can be useful in cases where the

source material didn't originate as video and con-
tains extremely high spatial or temporal fre-
quencies.
When you watch the rendered (interlaced) output
on video of this sort of media, you may see flick-
ering or crawling edges if this switch is not applied
Reduce Interlace
Flicker (video only) Enable this switch when using imported images
that were not created using a video camera (such
as photographs) or when using generated media
or text.

For more information, see Adding generated

media to your project (p. 530) and Creating text
and titles (p. 533)

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Switch Description

VEGAS Pro resampling offers choices for how to

treat footage whose framerate differs from the pro-
ject framerate as well as how to handle resampling
during slow-motion sequences that you create
with the Velocity envelope or Playback Rate set-
ting.
With resampling, the intervening frames are inter-
polated from the source frames, much like a cross-
fade effect between the original frames. This may
solve some interlacing problems and other jittery
output problems.

Uses the option that you

chose previously in the File
Resample Mode Properties dialog box
(video only)
NOTE Use project set-
Use project tings is the default for all
video events, so if you
settings
use the default switch
along with the default pro-
ject setting discussed
above, no resampling will
occur.

Analyzes the existing frames

before and after the new one
Frame blend
and blends them to create
new frames as needed

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Switch Description

Uses optical flow technology

Optical Flow to create new frames as
needed

Disable res-
Performs no resampling
ampling

NOTE
The event resample setting will override the pro-
ject RESAMPLE MODE setting.
This way you can leave resampling set to dis-
abled for the bulk of your project, but switch it
to Optical flow for an individual slow-motion
event in your timeline.

For more information, see Setting project

properties (p. 72)

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Switch Description

TIP If you have created slow motion with a Velo-

city envelope, you might want to choose
Optical Flow from the list to see if it gives you
smoother results. Optical Flow won’t work well
in all cases, but can produce excellent results
many times. If you aren’t happy with the results
of Optical Flow, choose Frame Blend from the
menu to see if you like those results any better.
When you create slow motion though a change
in the event’s playback rate, you can again
experiment with the resampling mode that
yields the best results. For instance, hold the
Ctrl key and trim the right edge of your video
event to the right. This lowers the event’s play-
back rate as indicated by the saw-toothed line
running through the event.

Audio streams
When you add a multistream audio file to your project, you can choose which stream you
want to use in the event.

1. Select an audio event and choose STREAM from the Edit menu (or right-click an
event and choose STREAM from the shortcut menu). A submenu is displayed.

2. Choose a command from the submenu to choose the stream you want to use.

Audio channels
VEGAS Pro allows you to perform audio channel conversion nondestructively. You can mix
channels, convert to mono, swap channels in a stereo file, or choose the channel that you
want to use in a multichannel file.

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1. Select an audio event and choose CHANNELS from the Edit menu (or right-click
an event and choose CHANNELS from the shortcut menu). A submenu is dis-
played.

2. Choose a command from the submenu to specify how to treat the channels in
your file.
For events that use multichannel audio:

Item Description

Treats the event as a mono file using the audio from the chan-
Channel x
nel you choose.

Channels Treats the event as a stereo file using the audio from the chan-
x/y nels you choose.

For events that use stereo audio:

Item Description

Both Treats the event as a normal stereo file.

Creates a mono event using only the left channel of your

Left Only
media file.

Creates a mono event using only the right channel of your

Right Only
media file.

Creates a mono event by mixing the channels of your media

Combine file. After mixing the channels, the amplitude is divided by two
to prevent clipping.

Swap Exchanges the right and left channels in a stereo file.

Opening events in an audio editor

The VEGAS Pro timeline is a nondestructive editing environment, which means that the ori-
ginal source files remain unchanged by any editing done in the software. Edits that modify
the actual source media file (destructive edits) may be performed in a separate application

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such as Sound Forge software from MAGIX.

From the Tools menu, choose AUDIO, and choose OPEN IN [EDITOR NAME] from the sub-
menu to start your sound-editing application and modify the selected audio event using
the editor specified on the Audio tab in the Preferences dialog.

1. Select the event you want to edit.

You can select multiple events to open each event in a separate window in the
sound editor.

2. From the Tools menu, choose AUDIO, and choose OPEN IN [EDITOR NAME]. The
editing application is opened with the event's media.

3. Edit and save the file.

After you have edited and saved the file, VEGAS Pro automatically detects the
updated file and updates the event in the project. However, if you change the
media file’s name or location (by using Save As), you must import the edited (new)

file into your project. For more information, see Adding media files to your pro-
ject (p. 135)

NOTE
●
Audio events from nested projects cannot be edited in a sound editor. For
more information, see Nesting projects (p. 99)
● When you first install VEGAS Pro, it searches for Sound Forge software. If the
software is detected, it is automatically assigned as your sound editor.
However, if you do not have Sound Forge software, you may specify the loc-
ation of your preferred audio editor on the Audio Tab in the Preferences dialog.

TIP You may also edit a file that has been placed in the Trimmer window by right-click-
ing the Trimmer window and choosing OPEN IN AUDIO EDITOR from the shortcut
menu.

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Opening a copy of an event in an audio editor

The VEGAS Pro timeline is a nondestructive editing environment, which means that the ori-
ginal source files remain unchanged by any editing done in the software. Edits that modify
the actual source media file (destructive edits) may be performed in a separate application
such as Sound Forge software from MAGIX.

From the Tools menu, choose AUDIO, and choose OPEN COPY IN [EDITOR NAME] from the
submenu to start your sound-editing application and modify the a copy of the selected

audio event using the editor specified on the Audio tab in the Preferences dialog. For
more information, see Audio Tab (p. 1135)

1. Select the event you want to edit.

You can select multiple events to open each event in a separate window in the
sound editor.

2. From the Tools menu, choose AUDIO, and choose OPEN COPY IN [EDITOR NAME].
The editing application is opened with a copy of the event's media.

3. Edit and save the file.

After editing the sound file and saving, the new file is set as the active take for the
event. The new file is added to the Project Media window with a take name appen-

ded to the original file name. For more information, see Using takes as altern-
ate versions of events (p. 353)

NOTE
● Audio events from nested projects cannot be edited in a sound editor.

● When you first install VEGAS Pro, it searches for MAGIX Sound Forge software.
If the software is detected, it is automatically assigned as your sound editor.
However, if you do not have Sound Forge software, you can specify the loc-
ation of your preferred audio editor on the Audio tab in the Preferences dialog.

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Editing event properties

Right-click an event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu to use the Event
Properties dialog to modify an event.

Editing the name of the active take

If you have recorded multiple takes, you can edit the take names in the Event Properties
dialog.

1. Right-click the event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

2. On the Audio Event tab, enter or edit the take name in the ACTIVE TAKE NAME
box.

3. Click OK.

Changing event switches

1. Right-click the event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

2. On the Audio or Video Event tab, select the switches you want to use.

For more information, see Applying switches to events (p. 359)

3. Click OK.

Time-stretching or pitch-shifting an audio event

NOTE The RESAMPLE AND STRETCH QUALITY setting on the Audio tab of the Project
Properties dialog determines the quality of processing when time-stretching audio

events. For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

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Editing from the timeline

1. Select an event.

2. Use the = and - keys on your keyboard (not the numeric keypad) to adjust pitch:

Key Result

= Raise pitch one semitone.

Ctrl+= Raise pitch one cent.

Shift+= Raise pitch one octave.

Ctrl+Shift+= Reset pitch.

- Lower pitch one semitone.

Ctrl+- Lower pitch one cent.

Shift+- Lower pitch one octave.

Ctrl+Shift+- Reset pitch.

If ACTIVE TAKE INFORMATION is selected from the View menu, the event's pitch shift is
displayed in the bottom-left corner of the event. If the media has a known root note, the
new root is displayed in parentheses.

Editing in the Event Properties dialog

1. Right-click the event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

2. On the Audio Event tab, choose a setting from the METHOD drop-down list.

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Setting Description

None Turns off time stretching and pitch shifting.

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Setting Description

The élastique method uses technology from zplane.de-

velopment, and provides enhanced real-time time stretching
and pitch-shifting capabilities.
The élastique method also allows you to preserve and shift a
clip's formants, which are the characteristic resonant fre-
quencies of a sound.

1. Choose a setting from the STRETCH ATTRIBUTES drop-

down list to choose the stretching method best suited to
your media:
● PRO – Provides the highest quality stretching but
requires more RAM usage and CPU power.
● EFFICIENT – Uses fewer resources while still pro-
ducing great time-stretching quality for polyphonic
audio.
● SOLOIST (MONOPHONIC) or SOLOIST (SPEECH) –
ėlastique Provide good quality for monophonic audio with
little effect on system resources.

2. Type the desired event length in the NEW LENGTH box.

The event's original length is displayed for reference in
the ORIGINAL LENGTH box.

3. Type the desired pitch shift (in semitones) in the PITCH

CHANGE box.
If you want to change the event length without changing
pitch, type 0 in the box.
If you want the pitch to be determined by the new event
tempo, select the LOCK TO STRETCH box. For example,
doubling an event's tempo will raise its pitch by one
octave.

4. If the élastique Pro mode is selected in the STRETCH

ATTRIBUTES drop-down list, you can type a value in the
FORMANT SHIFT box to adjust the event's formants.

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Setting Description

This option is only available when the PRESERVE

FORMANTS checkbox is selected.
Formant shifting can be used to deepen the tone of a
vocal performance without changing the pitch.
The formant shift amount represents the number of
semitones to Shift the timbre in addition to the offset
required to compensate for any pitch shifting. For
example, a setting of 0.000 applies formant correction
with no additional shifting, while a setting of -7.000 will
apply formant correction and deepen a sound by 7
semitones.

Allows you to time stretch the audio by specifying a new

event length.
You can specify a pitch shift amount or lock the pitch to the
time stretching.

1. Type the desired event length in the NEW LENGTH box.

2. Type the desired pitch shift (in semitones) in the PITCH

CHANGE box.
If you want to change the event length without changing
Classic pitch, type 0 in the box.
If you want the pitch to be determined by the amount of
time stretching, select the LOCK TO STRETCH box. For
example, doubling an event's length will raise its pitch by
one octave.

3. Choose a setting from the STRETCH ATTRIBUTES drop-

down list to specify how you want to divide and cross-
fade the file to prevent artifacts. Depending on your
source material, you may need to experiment with dif-
ferent crossfade types.

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Changing the playback rate of or undersample a video event

1. Right-click the event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

2. On the Video Event tab, adjust the PLAYBACK RATE and UNDERSAMPLE RATE
controls.

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Setting Description

Enter a value in the box to set the rate of playback. For

example, a setting of 1 will play at normal speed, while 0.5
will play at half speed.
Each video event in your project has a specific duration
that is not changed by adjusting the playback rate. If you
decrease the speed of a ten-second video event by 50%,
only five seconds of video will be shown. On the other
hand, if the speed is increased 200%, the ten seconds of
video will play in only five seconds. The remaining five
seconds of the event will be filled either with a freeze of
the last frame or with ten additional seconds of video con-
tent from the media file (if the source media is longer than
the event).
Expanded lower limit for playback rate

The lower limit for the event playback rate has been
Playback rate greatly expanded to enable super slow motion
sequences.

Changing the playback rate

1. Click the MORE button and choose PLAYBACK

RATE from the menu.

2. In the PROPERTIES dialog box, enter the value you

want into the Playback Rate field, or use the Play-

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Setting Description

back Rate slider controls to set the value you want.

3. Set the rate to as low as 0.05.

4. When you’ve entered the rate you want, click OK.

Click to adjust the playback rate of a high-frame-rate clip

Conform to to play using the project frame rate.
Project Frame
Rate For more information, see Working with high-frame-
rate (HFR) clips (p. 148)

Enter a value in the box to simulate a lower frame rate. For

example, if you enter 0.5 in the box, the event will play at
Undersample
half its original frame rate, and each frame will be held
rate
twice as long as in the original media file, creating a
strobe effect.

3. Click the OK button.

Expanded lower limit for playback rate

The lower limit for the event playback rate has been greatly expanded to enable super
slow motion sequences.

Changing the playback rate

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1. Click the MORE button and choose PLAYBACK RATE from the menu.

2. In the PROPERTIES dialog box, enter the value you want into the Playback Rate
field, or use the Playback Rate slider controls to set the value you want.

3. Set the rate to as low as 0.05.

4. When you’ve entered the rate you want, click OK.

Editing information about the media file

1. Right-click the event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

2. Click the MEDIA tab.

3. Edit the settings as needed.

For more information, see Viewing or changing media file properties (p. 162)

4. Click the OK button.

Viewing media file properties

1. Right-click the event and choose PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu.

2. Click the GENERAL tab.

The General tab displays information about the event's source media file, streams,
metadata, and the plug-in used to read the file.

3. Click the OK button.

Copying and pasting or selectively pasting event attributes

Copying and pasting event attributes allows you to apply properties from one event to
other events. You can copy and paste all the attributes of one event into another or you
can choose which attributes to paste. The following attributes can be copied and pasted:

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● Event switches

● Audio event pitch shift

● Video event playback rate and undersample rate

● Video event effects and effect keyframes

● Video event pan/crop settings

● Video event velocity envelopes

● Pre and post transitions

Copy and paste event attributes

1. Select the event from which you want to copy attributes.

2. From the EDIT menu, choose COPY.

3. Select the event where you want to apply the copied attributes.

4. From the EDIT menu, choose

● PASTE EVENT ATTRIBUTES or

● SELECTIVELY PASTE EVENT ATTRIBUTES to select particular attributes to

paste, rather than all of them.

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● Check the dialog of any attribute you want to paste and click OK.

NOTE Copy, Paste and Selectively Paste Event Attributes commands are also available
from the context menu and video event More button.

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EXAMPLE
Pasting fade in/out attributes from one event to another

1. Add two video files to your timeline.

2. On the first video event, point to the top-left corner of the event.

3. When you see the pie-shaped Fade icon, drag the corner toward the middle of
the event. This creates a fade in on the event.

4. In the same way, drag the top-right corner of the event toward the middle of
the event to create a fade out.

5. Point to the edge of the fade in and when you see the Fade icon, right-click.
From the context menu, select a different fade shape. Do the same for the
fade out.

6. Right-click the event and choose COPY from the context menu.

7. Right-click the other event and choose SELECTIVELY PASTE ATTRIBUTES

from the context menu.
The bottom of the list includes four options:
● Pre transition type: defines the curve type of the fade in

● Post transition type: defines the curve type of the fade out

● Pre transition length: defines the length of the fade in

● Post transition length: defines the length of the fade out

8. Select the checkbox for the attributes you want to copy to the new event and
click OK.

Using the Edit Details Window

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to toggle the display of the Edit Details window.

The Edit Details window displays a database for all of the media in your project. It shows
information about how files in the project are being used and allows you to modify many of
those properties. You may sort, add or change information, rearrange columns, and edit
items in the project.

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This window provides an alternate method for working with events, audio CD track lists,
commands, markers, and regions.

Viewing Edit Details

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to display the Edit Details window.

2. From the SHOW drop-down list, choose the project information you want to see.

Item Description

Displays the information for each CD track and index marker

that you've inserted in your project. Use this view for arran-
Audio CD
Track List ging a disc-at-once (Red Book) CD. For more inform-
ation, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CD Burning (p.
1049)

Displays the settings for each metadata command that

Commands you've inserted in your project. For more information,

see Inserting command markers (p. 273)

Events Displays the information for each event on the timeline.

Displays the information for each marker that you've inser-

Markers ted in your project. For more information, see Inserting

markers (p. 267)

Displays the information for each region that you've inser-

Regions ted in your project. For more information, see Inserting

regions (p. 269)

Selected Displays the information for each selected event on the

Events timeline.

3. Use the column headings to arrange and sort the information in the window:

4. Drag the heading columns to rearrange the column order.

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5. Click a column heading to sort in ascending or descending order.

NOTE The time-based columns (START, END, LENGTH, TAKE START,

TIMECODE IN, and TIMECODE OUT) display time in your project's ruler format.

You can set this format on the Ruler tab of the Project Propertiesdialog.
For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

6. Double-click a table cell to edit it, or right-click to display a shortcut menu.

Customizing the appearance of the window

1. Arrange and sort the information in the Edit Details window:

● Drag the heading columns to rearrange the column order.

● Click a column heading to sort in ascending or descending order.

● Drag a heading off the Edit Details window to remove it from the view.

2. Enter a name in the PRESET box and click the SAVE button . The current view
(including sort order) is saved.

3. To recall the view later, choose its name from the PRESET drop-down list.

Removing red eye from still images

We've all been there—you have the perfect picture for your movie, but the subject's eyes
are glowing a bright red. That might be okay for a sci-fi epic, but not for your movie. No
worries. With VEGAS Pro, you can remove red eyes and make your subjects look human
again.

1. Right-click a still image on the timeline (or in the Project Media window) and
choose RED EYE REDUCTION from the shortcut menu.

2. Click the center of the red eye and drag to create a selection around the red por-
tion of the eye.

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Click the or buttons to change the magnification of the image, or roll the
mouse wheel forward or backward to zoom around the cursor position.

3. Drag to position the selection box over the portion of the eye you want to correct.
Drag the borders of the selection box to adjust its size. VEGAS Pro automatically
adjusts the portion of the image in the selection box to remove red eye.

TIP Right-click a selection box and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu to
remove it.

4. Readjust the selection box as needed, and repeat this procedure for each red eye
in the image.

NOTE If an image is used multiple times in your project, removing the red eyes
once will affect all instances of the image.

Undoing and redoing edit operations

Undo and redo give you the freedom to experiment with your project. Edit to your heart's
content. If you change your mind, you can always undo your changes. If you change your
mind again, you can redo the undone edits (whew!).

For example, if you accidentally deleted a track, simply choose UNDO to restore the track.

TIP You can perform an unlimited number of undos, so you can restore the project to
any state since the last SAVE command.

Undoing the last action performed

From the Edit menu, choose UNDO or click the UNDO button .

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Undoing a series of actions

1. Click the arrow next to UNDO button . A list of the most recent actions that
you can undo is displayed.

2. Select the action you want to undo. If the action does not appear in the list, use
the scroll bar to scroll through the list. The selected action and all actions above it
are reversed.

Reversing the last Undo performed

From the Edit menu, choose REDO, or click the REDO button .

NOTE If you later decide that you did not want to reverse an undo, click the UNDO but-

ton .

Reversing a series of Undo actions

IMPORTANT When you reverse an Undo, you also reverse all Undo actions above it in
the list.

1. Click the arrow next to REDO button . A list of the most recent actions that
you can redo is displayed.

2. Select the action you want to redo. If the action does not appear in the list, use the
scroll bar to scroll through the list. The selected action and all actions above it are
redone.

Undoing all edits

From the Edit menu, choose UNDO ALL to reverse all edits in the undo history.

You can view the edit history by clicking the arrow next to UNDO button .

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Clearing the edit history

From the Edit menu, choose CLEAR EDIT HISTORY to clear all of the entries in the
Undo/Redo History list for the current project.

The edit history is also cleared when you close your project.

IMPORTANT You will not be able undo or redo any previous changes after clearing the
history.

Rebuild audio peaks

From the View menu, choose REBUILD AUDIO PEAKS to rebuild peak files (.sfk) for all
audio events in your project.

Zooming and magnification

Use the controls in the lower-right corner of the timeline to change the magnification level
of your project.

TIP
Tips:

●
Double-clicking the ZOOM TOOL button in the corner of the timeline adjusts
the horizontal and vertical magnification so that as much of the project is dis-
played as possible.
● Roll the mouse wheel forward or back to zoom out or in quickly.

Zoom in to track height

●
Click the ZOOM IN TRACK HEIGHT button to increase the track height zoom
level to show more event detail.

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●
Click the ZOOM OUT TRACK HEIGHT button to decrease the track height zoom
level to show more tracks.
● Click and drag the area between the buttons to increase or decrease track height
zoom level.

TIP Press Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down Arrow to increase or decrease the height of all tracks.

Zoom in to an event

●
Click the ZOOM IN TIME button to increase the horizontal zoom level to show
more event detail.

●
Click the ZOOM OUT TIME button to decrease the horizontal zoom level to
show more of the timeline.
● Click and drag the area between the buttons to zoom in or out on the timeline.

TIP
You can also use the Up/Down Arrow keys to zoom:
● Press the Up/Down Arrow keys to zoom in horizontally in small increments.

● Press Ctrl+Up/Down Arrow to zoom in large increments. If a time selection

exists, Ctrl+Up/Down Arrow will zoom to the selection.

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Zoom in to a selection

Click the ZOOM TOOL button in the corner of the timeline to temporarily change the
cursor into the Zoom tool. Select an area of the timeline that you want to magnify, and the
cursor will revert to the previously active tool.

TIP Press Ctrl+Up/Down Arrow to zoom to the selection.

Scrubbing
You can use scrubbing to scroll playback of your project at varying speeds.

Choose a setting from the JKL / SHUTTLE SPEED drop-down list on the Editing tab of the
Preferences dialog to control the scrub speed and range when you scrub with the JKL keys

or with a multimedia controller. For more information, see Using a multimedia con-
troller (p. 508)

Scrubbing with the playhead

Drag the playhead above the timeline to shuttle forward or backward from the cursor
position to find an edit point.

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TIP
● Hold Alt, click the ruler, and drag to move the cursor to the position you clicked
and scrub in the direction you drag.
● Hold Ctrl while dragging (or drag while holding the right mouse button) to find
audio when you're zoomed out. The cursor moves in larger steps than with a
regular drag.
● Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging to scrub video only.

●
Zoom in or out to adjust the scrub sensitivity. For more information, see
Zooming and magnification (p. 386)

Using the scrub control in the track list

Drag the scrub control to shuttle forward or backward from the cursor position to find an
edit point.

You can drag the NORMAL RATE indicator below the scrub control (or double-click the

label to type a playback rate) to adjust playback speed when you click the PLAY or

PLAY FROM START button.

Scrubbing with the cursor

1. Hover over the cursor in an area of the timeline that does not contain an event and

press Ctrl. The mouse pointer is displayed as a .

NOTE When the ALLOW CTRL+DRAG CURSOR STYLE SCRUB OVER EVENTS
checkbox on the General tab of the Preferences dialog is selected, you can

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scrub with the mouse even when the cursor is over an event.

2. Drag left or right to scrub playback.

Scrubbing with the keyboard

Press the J, K, or L keys to use the keyboard as a scrub control.

TIP Press and hold K while pressing J or L to emulate a shuttle knob mode. Press K+J to
turn the knob to the left or K+L to turn the knob to the right.

Item Description

Scrub reverse mode. Press again to accelerate the playback

J
rate.

K Pause.

Scrub forward mode. Press again to accelerate the playback

L
rate.

Track editing
Tracks are containers along the VEGAS® Pro timeline where you arrange audio and video
events.

Events sit on tracks to determine when an event starts and stops, and multiple tracks are
mixed together to produce your final output.

Selecting tracks
Selecting tracks, along with selecting events, is the first step in a variety of editing tasks.
There are different methods for selecting tracks depending on the type of selections you
want to make.

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TIP When multiple tracks are selected, you can perform editing tasks on all selected
tracks simultaneously. For example, if you want to adjust the volume of several audio
tracks while preserving their relative levels, select the tracks and drag the VOLUME
fader on any of the selected tracks. All the faders will move together.

Selecting a single track

Click anywhere in the track header of the track you want to select. The track is highlighted.

Selecting multiple adjacent tracks

Hold down the Shift key and click in the track headers of the first and last track you want to
select. The tracks — including those between the selected tracks — are highlighted.

Selecting groups of composited tracks

Click the vertical bar below a parent track to select a group of composited tracks. For
example, clicking the area marked A in the following track list to select tracks 1 through 6.
Clicking the area marked B selects tracks 4 through 6.

For more information, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

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Selecting multiple nonadjacent tracks

Use the following procedure to select multiple tracks that are not located next to each
other.

1. Hold down the Ctrl key and click in the track header of each track that you want to
select. The tracks are highlighted.

NOTE If you have selected a track that you do not want to select, simply click
onthe track again.

2. When you have selected all of the tracks, release the Ctrl key.

Selecting all tracks

From the Edit menu, choose SELECT, and then choose SELECT ALL from the submenu to
select all tracks and events in your project.

Arranging tracks
Tracks can be moved to create logical groupings at any time during a project's creation.

Move a track

» Drag its icon to a new location in the track list. The new location is indicated by the high-
lighted line separating the tracks.

Move multiple tracks

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» Use the Shift or Ctrl keys while clicking on the track icons, and then drag the tracks to a
new location.

Grouping tracks
You can use track groups to organize similar tracks and hide them from view when you're
not working on them. This can make the track list less cluttered and easier to work with,
especially in large projects.

You can reorder track groups in the track list the same way you reorder tracks. Simply drag
a track group header to a new position in the track list.

FIGURE Track Group

1 Collapse/Expand Track Group Button

2 Track Group Header

3 Grouping Lane

Creating a track group

1. Select two or more tracks to group together. Press Shift to select multiple adja-
cent tracks. Nonadjacent tracks cannot be grouped together.

2. Right-click one of the tracks, choose TRACK GROUP, and then choose GROUP
SELECTED TRACKS.

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The tracks are grouped together. Click the COLLAPSE/EXPAND TRACK GROUP
button in the track group header to close and expand the tracks in the group.
When a track group is collapsed, dark gray bars indicate the length and location of
events in the collapsed tracks.

NOTE If you select a parent or child video track to be added to a track group, all asso-
ciated parent/child tracks will also be added to the group to preserve the compositing

relationship. For more information, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

IMPORTANT When you collapse a track group, tracks and events in the group are not
locked. Edits made elsewhere in the project may affect tracks and events in the col-
lapsed group.

Adding tracks to existing track groups

Drag one or more tracks into a track group to add the selected tracks to the group.

Removing tracks from groups

Drag one or more tracks out of a track group to remove the selected tracks from the group.
You can also right-click one or more selected tracks in a group, choose TRACK GROUP,
and then choose UNGROUP SELECTED TRACKS to remove tracks from a group.

Clearing track groups

1. Click the track group header to select all tracks in the group.

2. Right-click the track group header and choose UNGROUP SELECTED TRACKS to
ungroup all tracks in the group.

TIP You can also right-click the track grouping lane and choose UNGROUP
SELECTED TRACKSfrom the shortcut menu to clear the track group.

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Selecting all tracks in a group

Click a track group header or grouping lane to select all tracks in the group.

Renaming track groups

Every track group in your project has a scribble strip where you can type a name for the
track group.

1. Double click the scribble strip. Any existing name is highlighted on the strip.

2. Type the new track group name.

3. Press Enter to save the track group's name.

Muting and soloing track groups

Click the SOLO TRACK GROUP button in a track group header to isolate all tracks in the
group for playback. Soloing a track group overrides muted tracks in the group.

Click the SOLO TRACK GROUP button again to restore the track group for playback.

Click the MUTE TRACK GROUP button in a track group header to temporarily suspend
playback of all tracks in the group. Muting a track group overrides soloed tracks in the
group.

Click the MUTE TRACK GROUP button again to restore the track group for playback.

Adjustment Tracks
Adjustment tracks provide a way to apply video effects to multiple tracks simultaneously.

Add an adjustment track

» From the main menu, choose INSERT | ADJUSTMENT TRACK. Any effects you now
apply to this track will also affect all tracks below it in your project track list.

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How this adjustment track works in your project:

1. Add several video clips to your project, all on different tracks beneath your adjust-
ment track.

2. Add a video file to at least one track above your adjustment track. Stagger all of
the video events so that they do not overlap.

3. Click the TRACK FX button in the adjustment track’s track header.

4. From the Plug-In Chooser, add an easily noticeable video effect such as a Lens
Flare.

5. Click in your timeline so that your project cursor sits within one of the events in a
track below the adjustment track.

6. In the VIDEO TRACK FX window, make adjustments to the Lens Flare so that you
can see it clearly.
Notice that the effect that you applied at the track level of the adjustment track
affects the video in the event on the track below it.

7. Click through your timeline to test all of the other events in your project.
Notice that the Lens Flare shows on every event that sits on a track below the
adjustment track, but not on the event that sits on a track above the adjustment
track.

8. With your cursor sitting within one of the events below the adjustment track,
lower the adjustment track’s Level slider.
Notice that this controls the strength of the effect on all of the tracks influenced
by the adjustment track. Set the Level slider back to 100.0%.

9. Next, notice that the adjustment track has a blue line running through the top of it.
This is the track’s Composite envelope. You can use this envelope to change the
adjustment track’s composite level over time.

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● Double-click the envelope to add a point and then change the value of that
point.
● Add more points throughout your project to see how you can raise and lower
the strength of the effect over time.
This gives you great flexibility to include an event on a track that would normally
be influenced by the adjustment track but set it so the event is not influenced.

TIP
Button display independence for Adjustment Tracks

You can configure your visible button set for Adjustment tracks independently of reg-
ular video tracks. Adjustment tracks show the Track FX button in the track header by
default. You can click this button to access the Plug-In Chooser and add the video
effects you want to pass through to other tracks. You can also drag video effects dir-
ectly from the Video FX window onto the Adjustment track header area to add them.

Using the compositing parent/child relationship

You can also use the compositing parent/child relationship between tracks to control
which tracks become influenced by the adjustment track.

1. Click the MORE button for the track directly below the adjustment track.

2. From the menu, select MAKE COMPOSITING CHILD.

3. Make the next track down a compositing child of the adjustment track as well.

4. Now, click around your project.

Notice that the tracks that you’ve marked as child tracks of the adjustment track
remain under the influence of the adjustment track. But any tracks that are not chil-
dren of the adjustment tracks--even though they are below the adjustment track-
-are no longer influenced by it. This gives you great flexibility to choose just the
tracks you want associated with the adjustment track.

Multiple effects

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You can add as many adjustment tracks to your project as you need. So, say track 1 is an
adjustment track. It will influence tracks 2 through 5 (assume no parent/child relationships
exist). Now, say track 3 is also an adjustment track. That track will influence tracks 4 and 5,
but not track 2 which is above it in the track order. In this case, tracks 4 and 5 are influ-
enced by two different adjustment tracks.

Sometimes you might want to change the video effect on the tracks affected by your
adjustment tracks over time. For instance, say you have a three-minute video. During each
individual minute you want a different video effect to influence all the tracks below the
adjustment track. You have a couple of different approaches to accomplish this.

First, you could add a new adjustment track for each individual minute (in our example
above). So, add three adjustment tracks and add one of the three different effects to each
of the tracks. Now use your Composite envelopes on these adjustment tracks to “cut” the
effect in and out at the appropriate time on each adjustment track. So, at any one time, the
effect of only one track passes through to the tracks you want to influence.

To keep your project organized if you use several adjustment tracks in this manner, select
each of the adjustment tracks. Right-click one of the selected tracks and choose Track
Group | Group Selected Tracks from the context menu. Now click the Collapse Track Group
button so that you have just one small track group visible and you can reclaim the timeline
space taken by the adjustment tracks.

You can also accomplish the task with just one Adjustment track. To use this method, add
the three video effects to the Adjustment track’s Video FX chain. Now find a parameter in
each of the video FX that controls the strength of the effect. Click the Animate button for
that parameter. Now use the animation timeline and keyframes to turn that effect off when
you don’t need it and on when you do. Do this for each of the effects. In this way you can
add multiple effects to one adjustment track and control when the effect actually influ-
ences the tracks below and when it does not.

You can get quite sophisticated with your tracks and effects by combining all of these fea-
tures in this way.

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HOW-TO VIDEO Adjustment Tracks

Duplicating tracks
If you want to create an exact copy of a track — including events, effects, and envelopes
— right-click the track number and choose DUPLICATE TRACK from the shortcut menu.

Video track controls

The controls in the track list allow you to adjust track motion, effects, opacity, and com-
positing.

NOTE If you cannot find a trace control mentioned here, it's probably hidden. Click the

More button to specify which track control should be visible in the track header.

Changing a track's color

You can change the color of your tracks to create logical track groups.

To change a track's color, right-click the header and choose TRACK DISPLAY COLOR from
the shortcut menu. Choose a color from the submenu to change the icon in the Track List
and the color that is used to highlight a selected event in the timeline.

Use the Display tab in the Preferences dialog to edit the available colors. For more
information, see Display Tab (p. 1159)

Changing a track's height

Drag a track's bottom border to set its height. If you want to set a track's height as the
default height for new tracks, you can right-click within the track list and choose SET

DEFAULT TRACK PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu. For more information, see

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Setting default track properties (p. 426)

Click MINIMIZE to minimize a track vertically.

Click MAXIMIZE to zoom in vertically so a track fills the timeline.

After minimizing or maximizing a track, click the MINIMIZE or MAXIMIZE button again to
return a track to its previous height.

Track height keyboard shortcuts

● Press Ctrl + Shift + ↑ (Up Arrow) or ↓ (Down Arrow) to change the height of all
tracks at once.
● Press ` to minimize all tracks. Press again to restore tracks to their previous
height. When restoring track height, tracks that you previously minimized are not
restored—you can restore these tracks by clicking the RESTORE TRACK HEIGHT

button on the track header.

● Press Ctrl + ` to return all tracks to the default height.

Expanding or collapsing track layers

Right-click the track header and choose EXPAND TRACK LAYERS to expand a video track
to reveal three subtracks within the main track: the A roll, B roll, and transition roll. In this
view, sequential clips alternate between the A and B rolls, and the overlapping area
between events is represented by the transition roll.

Choose the command again to collapse the track layers.

For more information, see Transitions (p. 521)

Expanding or collapsing track keyframes

If you're using video track effects or track motion, keyframes will be displayed in the
timeline below your video track. You can drag keyframes to adjust their position, or right-
click a keyframe to display a shortcut menu that allows you to add and delete keyframes
and change the interpolation curve between keyframes.

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For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513) and Editing track motion (p.
416)

TIP Select the LOCK ENVELOPES TO EVENTS button to lock track-level keyframes
to the events on the track. When keyframes are locked, you can move events along the
timeline, and their associated keyframes move with them.

Click the EXPAND/COLLAPSE TRACK KEYFRAMES button in the track header to toggle
the height of the track keyframes.

NOTE Event-level keyframes are not visible in the timeline.

Assigning a name to a track

1. Double-click in the Scribble Strip and type the track name.

If you do not see the Scribble Strip, expand the track to reveal it. The Scribble
Strip appears above the LEVEL fader.

2. Press Enter to save the name.

Bypassing the motion blur envelope

If you've applied a motion blur envelope to the video bus track, the envelope affects all

tracks. To bypass motion blur for a track, select the BYPASS MOTION BLUR button in
the track header.

For more information, see Video bus track (p. 410)

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Applying track motion

Click the TRACK MOTION button to display the Track Motion window.

You can use this window to animate a video track or create picture-in-picture effects.

For more information, see Editing track motion (p. 416)

Applying effects to a track

Click the TRACK FX button to add or edit track-level video effects. Track effects are
applied to every event on the selected track.

For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

Muting a track

Click the MUTE button to prevent a track from being played in the mix. Click the MUTE
button on additional tracks to add them to the mute group. To unmute a track, click the
MUTE button again.

TIP When you have a group of tracks muted, hold Ctrl while clicking the MUTE button
on an unmuted track to remove all other tracks from the mute group. Hold Ctrl while
clicking the MUTE button on a muted track to reset all MUTEbuttons.

Muting or unmuting a track

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the MUTE button .

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When you have multiple levels of parent and child tracks, clicking the MUTE button on a
parent track mutes the parent track and its compositing children.

In the sample track list, muting track 1 will mute tracks 1 through 6.

Muting track 4 will mute tracks 4 through 6.

For more information, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

Adjusting mute automation

You can edit mute automation settings by adding a mute envelope to the track or by using
the controls in the track header.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The MUTE button is displayed as

2. Click the MUTE button to change the track's mute automation state.

The button behaves differently if the track has a mute envelope and when you
change the track automation recording mode:

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● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the button mutes the entire
track.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
READ, the button changes state to reflect the envelope setting during play-
back but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
TOUCH or LATCH, the button edits the envelope setting at the cursor pos-
ition.

For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p.
1096) andVideo track automation (p. 1081)

Soloing a track

Select the SOLO button to mute all unselected tracks. Click the SOLO button on addi-
tional tracks to add them to the solo group. To remove a track from the solo group, click
the SOLO button again.

TIP When you have a group of tracks soloed, hold Ctrl while clicking the SOLO button
on an unsoloed track to remove all other tracks from the solo group. Hold Ctrl while
clicking the SOLO button on a soloed track reset all SOLO buttons.

When you have multiple levels of parentand child tracks, clicking the SOLO button ona
parent track solos the parent track and its compositing children. Othernonsoloed tracks at
the same compositing level are bypassed.

In the sample track list, soloing track 1 will solo tracks 1 through6.

Soloing track 4 will solo tracks 4 through 6. Tracks 2 and 3 are bypassed,and tracks 1 and 7
play normally.

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For more information, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

Adjusting track opacity and trim levels

The LEVEL slider in the track header affects the composite level of a track. The slider can
function as a trim control that adjusts the overall track opacity, or it can adjust track opa-
city automation settings.

The trim level is added to the track automation settings so your envelope is preserved, but
with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to 90% has the same
effect as decreasing every envelope point by 10%.

Click the PARENT COMPOSITE MODE or COMPOSITING MODE button and choose a
mode from the menu to determine how the transparency in a video track is generated.
Since lower tracks show through higher tracks, it is the compositing mode of the higher
track that determines how much of the lower track shows though. The compositing mode
of the lowest video track adjusts its transparency against the background.

For more information, see Video track automation (p. 1081) and Compositing and
masks (p. 794)

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Adjusting the compositing trim level

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Drag the LEVEL slider to control the transparency or blending of each track: left is
100% transparent, and right is 100% opaque.
You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer incre-
ments, or double-click the slider to return it to 100% opaque.
If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Adjusting the composite automation level

You can edit automation settings by adding a composite level envelope to the track or by
using the controls in the track header.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The slider thumb is displayed as a

in automation mode.

2. Drag the LEVEL slider.

The slider behaves differently if the track has a composite level envelope and
when you change the track automation recording mode:
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the slider adjusts the com-
posite level of the entire track.
● When the track has a composite level envelope and the track automation
mode is set to READ, the slider will follow the envelope during playback but
cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the slider edits
the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not have a com-
posite level envelope, an envelope will be added when you adjust the slider.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p.
1096)Video track automation (p. 1081)

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Adjusting track fade-to-color levels

You can edit automation settings by adding a fade-to-color envelope to the track or by
using the controls in the track header. The Fade slider is displayed only when the

AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected.

TIP You can set the track fade colors for each video track independently by right-click-
ing the track header, choosing FADE COLORS, and then choosing TOP or BOTTOM
from the submenu. If you want to change the default fade colors, use the TRACK FADE
TOP and TRACK FADE BOTTOM controls on the Video tab of the Preferences dialog.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The slider thumb is displayed as a

in automation mode.

2. Drag the FADE slider.

The slider behaves differently when you change the track automation recording
mode:
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the slider adjusts the fade
level of the entire track.
● When the track automation mode is set to READ, the slider will follow the
envelope during playback but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the slider edits
the envelope setting at the cursor position.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p.
1096)Video track automation (p. 1081)

Audio bus tracks

From the View menu, choose AUDIO BUS TRACKS to toggle the display of audio bus tracks
at the bottom of the timeline. An audio bus track exists for each bus or assignable effects
chain in your project and serves as a timeline representation of each bus or assignable

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effects chain.

You can use bus tracks to automate volume, panning, and effect parameters using envel-
opes. For more information, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

The controls in the bus track are duplicated on bus or assignable effects channel strips in
the Mixing Console window. Bus Channel Strips (p. 984) and "FX Send (Assignable Effects)
Channel Strips."

Adding automation to an audio bus track

Adding volume, panning, and effect automation to a bus track is just like adding auto-
mation to a standard track.

For more information about track automation, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

Adding effects to a bus track

Click the BUS FX button in the bus track header to add or edit bus effects. If there are
no effects on the bus, clicking this button displays the Plug-In Chooser. If an audio bus

already has effects assigned, clicking this button displays the Bus FX window. For
more information, see Editing audio effects (p. 1014)

NOTE If the bus effects chain includes plug-ins with automatable parameters, the BUS

FX button is displayed as a .

Muting a track

Click the MUTE button to prevent a bus track from being played in the mix. Click the
MUTE button on additional tracks to add them to the mute group. To unmute a track, click
the MUTE button again.

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Muting or unmuting a bus track

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the MUTE button .

TIP When you have a group of tracks muted, hold Ctrl while clicking the MUTE
button on an unmuted track to remove all other tracks from the mute group.
Hold Ctrl while clicking the MUTE button on a muted track to reset all MUTEbut-
tons.

Adjusting mute automation

You can edit mute automation settings by adding a mute envelope to the track or by using
the controls in the track header.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The MUTE button is displayed as

2. Click the MUTE button to change the bus track's mute automation state.

The button behaves differently if the track has a mute envelope and when you
change the track automation recording mode:
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the button mutes the entire
track.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
READ, the button changes state to reflect the envelope setting during play-
back but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
TOUCH or LATCH, the button edits the envelope setting at the cursor pos-
ition.

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Soloing a track

Click the SOLO button to solo all selected audio bus tracks. Click the SOLO button on
additional tracks to add them to the solo group. To remove a track from the solo group,
click its SOLO button again.

TIP Hold Ctrl while clicking a SOLO button to solo a single track and remove all other
tracks from the solo group.

Resizing bus tracks

You can drag the horizontal splitter between the track list and bus tracks to increase or
decrease the space used to display bus tracks. Perform any of the following actions to res-
ize individual bus tracks:
● Drag a bus track's bottom border to set its height.

●
Click MINIMIZE to minimize a track vertically.

●
Click MAXIMIZE to zoom in vertically so a bus track fills the lower portion of the
timeline.
● After minimizing or maximizing a bus track, click the MINIMIZE or MAXIMIZE but-
ton again to return a bus track to its previous height.
● Press Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down Arrow when the bus track area has focus to resize all
bus tracks at once.

Video bus track

From the View menu, choose VIDEO BUS TRACK to toggle the display of the video bus
track at the bottom of the timeline. A single bus track exists as a timeline representation of
the main video output.

You can use the bus track to animate video output effects using keyframes, add motion
blur envelopes, or video supersampling envelopes.

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Adding keyframes to the video bus track

Adding keyframes to the video bus track is just like working with any other video track. Use
video bus track keyframes to animate video output effects. For more information, see Key-
frame animation (p. 756) and Adding video effects (p. 513)

Adding a fade-to color envelope

You can add fade-to-color, motion blur amount, and video supersampling envelopes to the
video bus track to affect your video output.

Adding and editing a fade-to-color envelope is just like adding an envelope on a standard
video track, but it affects all tracks. For more information, see Video track automation (p.
1081)

Adding a motion blur envelope

Motion blur can help you make computer-generated animation look more realistic. For
example, if you use track motion or event pan/crop to move a clip across the frame, each
frame is displayed clearly when no motion blur is applied. Turning on motion blur adds a
motion-dependent blur to each frame to create the appearance of smooth motion in the
same way a fast-moving subject is blurred when you take a photograph with a slow shutter
speed.

Panned event frame without motion blur

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Frame with motion blur

1. Right-click the video bus track, choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the
shortcut menu, and then choose MOTION BLUR AMOUNT from the submenu.

2. Edit motion blur automation settings:

● Add and adjust envelope points as necessary to set the time interval that will
be used for blurring. For more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p.
1090) Increasing the value emphasizes the blur effect. For example, setting
the envelope to 0 means no blurring will occur; setting the envelope to 1
second means that each frame will be blurred for one-half second before
and after the frame.
—or—

●
Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The MOTION BLUR slider

handle is displayed as a .

The MOTION BLUR slider behaves differently if the track has a composite
level envelope and when you change the track automation recording mode:
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the slider adjusts the
motion blur level of the entire track.
● When the track has a motion blur envelope and the track automation
mode is set to READ, the slider will follow the envelope during play-
back but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the slider
edits the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not
have a motion blur envelope, an envelope will be added when you
adjust the slider.

3. The motion blur envelope affects all tracks. To bypass motion blur for a track,

select the BYPASS MOTION BLUR button in the track header.

4. To change blur type, choose a setting from the MOTION BLUR TYPE drop-down
list on the Video tab in the Project Properties dialog. This setting determines the
shape of the blur and the opacity of the frames. For more information, see Setting
project properties (p. 72)

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IMPORTANT Adding a motion blur envelope significantly increases your rendering

time.

Adding a video supersampling envelope

Video supersampling can improve the appearance of computer-generated animation by

calculating intermediate frames between the project's frame rate, allowing you to create
smoother motion blurring or motion from sources such as track motion, event pan/crop,
transitions, or keyframable effects.

NOTE The effect of video supersampling is less apparent with video that contains fast
motion, and supersampling cannot improve the appearance of existing video.

Motion blur without supersampling—multiple exposures are visible

Motion blur with supersampling—multiple exposures appear smoother

1. Right-click the video bus track, choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the
shortcut menu, and then choose VIDEO SUPERSAMPLING from the submenu.

2. Edit automation settings:

● Add and adjust envelope points as necessary to indicate how many frames
will be calculated between frames (using the project's frame rate) to create
the blur.
—or—

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●
Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The SUPERSAMPLING slider

handle is displayed as a .

The SUPERSAMPLING slider behaves differently if the track has a super-

sampling envelope and when you change the track automation recording
mode:
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the slider adjusts the
supersampling level of the entire track.
● When the track has a supersampling envelope and the track auto-
mation mode is set to READ, the slider will follow the envelope during
playback but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the slider
edits the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not
have a supersampling envelope, an envelope will be added when you
adjust the slider.

IMPORTANT Video supersampling significantly increases your rendering time. For

example, when you set the video supersampling envelope to 2, twice as many frames
are rendered than would be rendered without supersampling. Adjust the envelope to
apply supersampling only where necessary.

Adding effects to a bus track

Click the VIDEO OUTPUT FX button in the bus track header to add or edit video output
effects. If there are no video output effects, clicking this button displays the Plug-In
Chooser. If you've already set up video output effects, clicking the button displays the
Video Output FX window. For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

Muting the video output

Click the MUTE button to mute the video output. To unmute the video output, click the
MUTE button again.

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Muting or unmuting a bus track

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the MUTE button .

Adjusting mute automation

You can edit mute automation settings by adding a mute envelope to the track or by using
the controls in the track header.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . The MUTE button is displayed as

2. Click the MUTE button to change the bus track's mute automation state.

The button behaves differently if the track has a mute envelope and when you
change the track automation recording mode:
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the button mutes the entire
track.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
READ, the button changes state to reflect the envelope setting during play-
back but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
TOUCH or LATCH, the button edits the envelope setting at the cursor pos-
ition.

Bypassing video effects and envelopes

Click the BYPASS FX AND ENVELOPES button in the bus track header to bypass all
video output effects and bus track envelopes.

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Resizing bus tracks

You can drag the horizontal splitter between the track list and bus tracks to increase or
decrease the space allocated to bus tracks. Perform any of the following actions to resize
individual bus tracks:
● Drag a bus track's bottom border to set its height.

●
Click MINIMIZE to minimize a track vertically.

●
Click MAXIMIZE to zoom in vertically so a bus track fills the lower portion of the
timeline.
● After minimizing or maximizing a bus track, click the MINIMIZE or MAXIMIZE but-
ton again to return a bus track to its previous height.
● Press Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down Arrow when the bus track area has focus to resize all
bus tracks at once.

Editing track motion

From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and choose TRACK MOTION from the submenu (or

click the TRACK MOTION button on a track header) to display the Track Motion window.

The Track Motion window is used to move a video track over another track. In the following
example, a picture-in-picture window has been created by resizing and positioning the
overlay video clip. Motion was used to gradually move the text up from the bottom of the
window.

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Zooming or panning a video track

When you use a single setting for the track, you move all video on the track. When you add
keyframes to change track motion settings through the duration of the track, you can cre-

ate animation. For more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

1. Click the TRACK MOTION button on the track that contains the overlay you
want to animate. The Track Motion window is displayed.

2. Choose a setting from the COMPOSITE MODE drop-down list to specify how your

track will be composited over other tracks. For more information, see Com-
positing and masks (p. 794)

3. Adjust the selection area to change the viewable area of the track and its position.
You can use the POSITION, ORIENTATION, and ROTATION controls on the left
side of the window, or you can drag the selection box in the workspace. When you
drag, guides are displayed in bold to indicate how the track will be moved or
rotated:

Moving closer to or farther from viewer. Drag across corners to flip the track.

Dragging the track to change its position.

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Rotating around the Z axis

4. Use the buttons at the top of the dialog to allow or prevent movement or scaling.
See the Change editing options heading in this topic for more information.

TIP Right-click the workspace to display a shortcut menu that displays com-
mands to restore, center, or flip the selection box. You can also force the box
to match the source media's aspect ratio, your project's output aspect ratio, or
a square aspect. Matching the output aspect ratio can prevent black bars from
appearing when you use source media (such as photographs) that does not
match your project's aspect ratio.

The track motion occurs instantly, and the results are updated in the Video Pre-
view window.

5. Use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Track Motion window to estab-
lish distinct track motion settings throughout the duration of the track.
During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.
Expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION heading on the left side of the window
and drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation.

TIP Use the DEFAULT TRACK MOTION SMOOTHNESS control on the External Control &
Automation tab of the Preferences dialog to set the default Smoothness value for new
keyframes.

Creating a shadow effect

The shadow effect creates a drop shadow under an object, window, or title. A shadow is
especially effective under a picture-in-picture window.

This procedure assumes that you have already created an event on the track above the
background video to be used as an overlay.

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1. Click the TRACK MOTION button on the track where you want to add a shadow
effect. The Track Motion window is displayed.

2. Select the 2D SHADOW row in the keyframe controller. When the 2D SHADOW row
is selected, shadow controls are displayed in the Track Motion dialog.
Select the 2D SHADOW checkbox to apply the shadow so you can see the results
of your shadow in the Video Preview window, or clear the checkbox to bypass the
shadow.

3. Use the 2D Shadow controls on the left side of the window to set the color and
appearance of the shadow:

Item Description

Type a number in the box or click the button to display a

Blur % slider you can use to soften the edge of the shadow. Set to 0
for a hard edge, or increase the setting to feather the edge of
the shadow.

Type a number in the box or click the button to display a

Intensity slider you can use to establish the transparency of the
shadow's blurred edge. Decrease the setting for a translucent
shadow, or increase the setting for a more opaque shadow.

Click the down arrow next to the color swatch to display a

color picker. Use the sliders or edit boxes in the color picker to
Color
set the shadow color, or use the eyedropper tool to sample a
color from your screen.

4. Adjust the size position of the shadow by dragging the box in the workspace or
using the POSITION, ORIENTATION, and ROTATION controls on the left side of
the window. For more information about manipulating the selection box, see Crop,

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zoom, or pan a video track in this section.

1 Cropped video

2 Shadow

5. To animate the shadow, click in the 2D SHADOW row of the Keyframe Controller
to set the cursor to a later time and adjust the shadow settings.
You can use keyframe animation to change the color or transparency of the
shadow, or you can move the shadow independently of the overlay video.

For more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

Creating a glow effect

A glow is similar to a shadow, but is typically a bright color with feathered edges.

This procedure assumes that you have already created an event on the track above the
background video to be used as an overlay.

1. Click the TRACK MOTION button on the track where you want to add a shadow
effect. The Track Motion window is displayed.

2. Select the 2D GLOW row in the keyframe controller. When the 2D GLOW row is
selected, glow controls are displayed in the Track Motion dialog.

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Select the 2D GLOW checkbox to apply the shadow so you can see the results of
the glow effect in the Video Preview window, or clear the checkbox to bypass the
glow.

3. Use the 2D Glow controls on the left side of the window to set the color and
appearance of the glow:

Item Description

Type a number in the box or click the button to display a

Blur % slider you can use to soften the edge of the glow effect. Set to
0 for a hard edge, or increase the setting to feather the edge
of the glow.

Type a number in the box or click the button to display a

Intensity slider you can use to establish the transparency of the glow's
blurred edge. Decrease the setting for a translucent glow, or
increase the setting for a more opaque glow.

Click the down arrow next to the color swatch to display a

color picker. Use the sliders or edit boxes in the color picker to
Color
set the glow color, or use the eyedropper tool to sample a
color from your screen.

4. Adjust the size position of the glow by dragging the box in the workspace or using
the Position, Orientation, and Rotation controls on the left side of the window. For
more information about manipulating the selection box, see Crop, zoom, or pan a
video track in this section.

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1 Cropped video

2 Glow

5. To animate the glow, click in the 2D GLOW row of the Keyframe Controller to set
the cursor to a later time and adjust the glow settings.
You can use keyframe animation to change the color or transparency of the glow,
or you can move the glow independently of the overlay video.

For more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

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Moving a group of composited tracks (applying parent motion)

1. Click the MAKE COMPOSITING CHILD button on the tracks you want to group
to create a compositing group.
If you want to move the compositing group in the 3D space, click the PARENT

COMPOSITE MODE button on the parent track and choose 3D SOURCE

ALPHA.

For more information, see Compositing and masks (p. 794) and 3D com-
positing (p. 802)

2. Click the PARENT MOTION button on the parent track. The Track Motion win-
dow is displayed.

Parent track motion is applied to the parent track and all child tracks.

In the sample track list, parent track motion on track 1 will affect tracks
1 through 6.

Parent track motion applied to track 4 will affect only tracks 4 through
6.

3. Choose a setting from the COMPOSITE MODE drop-down list to specify how your
tracks will be composited over other tracks.

4. Perform the procedures described earlier in this topic to crop or zoom the com-
posited tracks, change their position on screen, or add shadow or glow effects.

5. If you want to create animated track motion, use the keyframe controller at the
bottom of the Track Motion window to establish distinct zoom settings throughout
the duration of the track.

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During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.

For more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

Changing editing options

Use the toolbar at the top of the Track Motion window to change your editing options:

Item Description

Select this button if you want to be able to rotate, or spin, the

video.
ENABLE
ROTATION When the button is not selected, video is locked so you can
move it horizontally or vertically, but the track cannot be
rotated.

Enable Snap-
Select this button if you want your editing to snap to the grid.
ping to Grid

Select this button if you want to edit in the object's space rather
than the camera's space.
Edit in For example, if a video object is rotated, its X axis may not cor-
Object respond to the X axis of the of the Video Preview window.
Space Selecting the EDIT IN OBJECT SPACE button in conjunction
with the PREVENT MOVEMENT buttons allows you to move the
object along its own X and Y axes.

Prevent
Select this button if you want to prevent horizontal movement
Movement
of the track.
(X)

Prevent
Select this button if you want to prevent vertical movement of
Movement
the track.
(Y)

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Item Description

Select this button if you want the selection box to retain its
Lock Aspect aspect ratio during resizing.
Ratio When the button is not selected, the height and width can be
resized independently.

Select this button if you want the selection box to retain its cen-
ter point when you resize the box by dragging its edges.
Scale About
Center When the button is not selected, the opposite side of the selec-
tion box will remain anchored when you drag the edges to res-
ize it.

Prevent Scal- Select this button if you want to lock the horizontal dimension
ing (X) of the selection box.

Prevent Scal- Select this button if you want to lock the vertical dimension of
ing (Y) the selection box.

Saving or recalling a keyframe preset

Keyframe presets save the settings of the selected keyframe row at the cursor position.

NOTE
● Presets for the Position, 2D Shadow, and 2D Glow keyframe rows are saved
separately.
● Presets for 2D and 3D track motion are saved separately: presets you create in

this window will not be available in the 3D Track Motion window. For more
information, see 3D compositing (p. 802)

Saving a preset

1. Adjust your Position, 2D Shadow, or 2D Glow settings as desired to create a key-

frame.

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2. Type a name in the PRESET box.

3. Click the SAVE PRESET button .

Recalling a preset

1. Click in the Position, 2D Shadow, and 2D Glow keyframe row to select a row and
position the cursor where you want to apply the preset.

2. Choose a setting from the PRESET drop-down list.

If no keyframe exists at the cursor position, one is created using the settings from
the preset. If a keyframe exists at the cursor position, the keyframe's settings are
replaced with the settings from the preset.

Deleting a preset

Click the DELETE PRESET button to delete the current preset.

Setting default track properties

You can use any track's settings to specify default settings for new tracks.

Editing default track settings

1. Right-click a track header and choose SET DEFAULT TRACK PROPERTIES from
the shortcut menu.

2. Select the checkbox for each item that you want to use as a default when creating

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a new track:

Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to use the current setting

Volume
of the VOLUME fader whenever you insert an audio track.

Select this checkbox if you want to use the current setting

Composite
of the COMPOSITING MODE button whenever you
Mode
insert a video track.

Select this checkbox if you want to use the current panning

mode whenever you insert an audio track.
To set the panning mode, right-click the PAN slider and
Pan Type choose a mode from the drop-down list.

For more information, see Audio panning modes (p.

908)

Select this checkbox if you want to use the current track

Height
height whenever you insert an audio or video track.

Select this checkbox if you want to use the current track

effect chain and settings whenever you insert an audio or
video track.
Track FX

For more information, see Adding audio effects (p.

1001) and Adding video effects (p. 513)

Select this checkbox if you want to enable record input mon-

Input mon-
itor itoring when you insert an audio track. For more inform-
ation, see Recording audio (p. 884)

3. Click OK.

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Restoring the original track settings

1. Right-click a track header and choose SET DEFAULT TRACK PROPERTIES from
the shortcut menu.

2. Select the RESTORE ORIGINAL DEFAULTS check box.

3. Click OK.

Render to New Track

From the Tools menu, choose RENDER TO NEW TRACK to mix multiple tracks to a single
track. This function is similar to track bouncing in the analog world.

TIP When your project contains many tracks and effects, mixing down can help con-
serve processing power.

When you render multiple tracks, any envelope or track effects that you have applied will
be rendered into the new track. The original source files remain unaffected, and the new
track(s) will be saved to a new file.

1. Click the SOLO button for the tracks that you want to mix down. If no tracks
are soloed, the rendered track will match the Master Bus output. Create a time
selection if you want to mix down a portion of your project.
Video tracks will be rendered into a single video track, and audio tracks will be
rendered to a single stereo audio track.

2. From the Tools menu, choose RENDER TO NEW TRACK. The Render to New Track
dialog is displayed.

3. Use the controls in the Render to New Track dialog to choose the location and
format you want to use to save your rendered track.

For more information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

4. Click the RENDER button. A dialog is displayed to show rendering progress.

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5. When the mixing is complete, the new track appears in the track list.

6. After the new track appears, you can delete the original tracks.

Multicamera editing
VEGAS® Pro makes it easy to work with video from multiple cameras right from the
timeline. You can capture and edit video for a single scene from multiple cameras or for a
single scene shot multiple times from one camera. Multicamera work is generally com-
pleted in five steps.

Shooting multicamera video

When shooting multicamera video, there are a few key components to consider before get-
ting started:
● If possible, use the same make and model of camera and the same settings. Other-
wise, you may need to do significant color correction in order to match the look
between cameras.
● If possible, provide a single timecode source to all cameras.

With synchronized timecode, VEGAS Pro can lay out multicamera media in perfect
synchronization. Otherwise, you'll need to manually adjust the alignment between

clips. For more information, see Synchronizing video in multicamera projects

(p. 430)
Unsynchronized timecode between two cameras—even of the same type—drifts
as much as one second per hour. Likewise, date/time stamps also drift and can
only be used for approximate layout. If you only need two cameras on your shoot,
be aware that some Sony cameras (e.g. HVR-V1) can synchronize timecode (using
a feature called “TC Link”) over IEEE-1394.
● Set the date and time in each camera. The closer these are, the better the approx-
imate layout will be. Even if you’re using a master timecode source, you should set
the date/time as a backup.

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● Before or after each scene, record a synchronization point. It is preferable to use a

video slate board for this purpose, but you can also employ a loud and visible
hand clap. You can also use a flash from a still camera, but you must disable any
red-eye reduction, as this can cause multiple flashes. A fast camera flash com-
bined with a fast shutter speed can be problematic as well.
Regardless of the synchronization method you choose, it must be visible by all
cameras.
● If you forget to record a synchronization point, you'll have to align the clips using
another reference point, such as something consistent in the audio or video. Be
aware that in distant shots, the audio captured by the camera’s microphone will
be delayed from the video (1 frame for every 11.5 meters).
● At least one of the cameras should be recording the audio you’ll use for the final
edit. Alternatively, if you’re using dual-system sound, you can record audio on
another device altogether. If you are shooting a musical performance, you might
even be using the studio-recorded audio track. If you record audio on multiple
cameras, you'll be able to switch between it along with the video if you choose.

Capturing multicamera video

You can use the VEGAS Video Capture application included with VEGAS Pro to capture
recordings from each camera in your multicamera shoot just as you would normally.

However, when you capture multicamera video, it is especially important to give each tape
(or disc) a unique name; VEGAS Pro uses this information to create a track for each cam-
era. Before you begin the capture process, enable scene detection in the capture applic-
ation so each segment is captured as a separate clip.

Synchronizing video in multicamera projects

In order to effectively edit multicamera footage within VEGAS Pro, you must have your
video clips synchronized. The best place to do this is the timeline, using the same VEGAS
Pro editing tools as you would for any video project.

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Laying out clips using timecode or data/time stamps

1. Start a new project or open an existing project to which you want to add the mul-
ticamera video.

2. From the Options menu, choose QUANTIZE TO FRAMES if it is not already selec-

ted. For more information, see Quantize to frames (p. 293)

3. From the Options menu, choose IGNORE EVENT GROUPING to turn it off.

4. Select your clips in the Project Media window.

5. Add your clips to the timeline:

● For clips with synchronized timecode, choose MULTICAMERA from the
Tools menu, and then choose LAY OUT TRACKS USING MEDIA TIMECODE
from the submenu.
● For clips without synchronized timecode, choose MULTICAMERA from the
Tools menu, and then choose LAY OUT TRACKS USING MEDIA DATE/TIME
STAMP from the submenu.

The result is a pair of tracks for each camera, with events aligned based on the timecode or
date/time stamp of each clip. If your scenes were captured with synchronized timecode,
your clips should be in perfect alignment. Otherwise, you'll need to adjust the alignment to
synchronize the clips. The goal is to align the clips in time so the synchronization points
you recorded occur at the same timeline position for all clips.

Adjusting alignment using audio

If you can assume that all cameras involved have recorded the same audio, you can also
use these audio tracks to synchronize the events.

1. Select all events.

2. Choose Menu TOOLS | MULTICAMERA | SYNCHRONIZE AUDIO TO ALIGN

EVENTS

3. The events below the topmost one are moved forward or backward so that they
are synchronized.

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NOTE In this process the whole audio data is analyzed to find similarities so
this can take a while with longer recordings.

Synchronizing Multicamera Audio

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

Synchronizing multicam events based on the audio from the clips the events hold has been
completely reworked. You can now select multiple events and quickly synchronize them
with options optimized for the type of audio contained in the clips.

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To syn-
chron-
ize files
based
on the
audio
(and
they
can be
audio-
only
files,
video
files
with
audio,
or a
mix)
first add
each file
to sep-
arate
tracks
so each
now sits
on a different track than each of the others. Of course, for synchronization to work, the
files must have been recorded simultaneously so that they contain exactly the same
source audio. It’s best if none of the files starts at the very beginning of the timeline.

The synchronization process will move timeline clip events as necessary to line the audio
of each file and any of the events may need to move earlier or later on the timeline. If one
of your events needs to move toward the start of the timeline, but it’s already sitting at the
very beginning, the synchronization will fail since the event can’t move any further to the
left. Give yourself some space between the start of the project and the start of the events
on your timeline.

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Click the audio event that you consider to be the “target” event, that is, the event you want
to match the others to. This event will not move, and each of the other events will move to
accomplish the synchronization. Now, hold the Ctrl key while you click on each other audio
event that you want to synchronize. As you see in the image above, each of the audio
events has been selected (indicated by the yellow highlight) while their grouped video
events have not been (indicated by the blue highlight).

Now choose Tools | Multicamera. Depending upon the audio material in your files, select
the most appropriate of the synchronization options at the top of the cascading menu. For
instance, my file contains both speaking and music, so I choose the Synchronize Mixed
Audio to Align Events. VEGAS Pro analyzes your audio files and moves repositions the
events as needed to synchronize them. If the first synchronization type you use doesn’t
give you results that you’re happy with, undo the edit and try a different type.

Once the events are synchronized, you can enter Multicamera editing mode and edit your
project.

Adjusting alignment using video

You can also align your events using the video.

NOTE These steps require snapping to be enabled, so if you have not already done so,

turn snapping on by clicking the ENABLE SNAPPING button . For more inform-
ation, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

1. Solo the video track.

2. Position the cursor at the synchronization point and drag the event’s snap offset
so it snaps to the cursor.

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3. Repeat these steps for each clip.

4. Drag the cursor to a snap point, and then snap the other clips to the cursor.

Creating multicamera events

VEGAS Pro uses takes for multicamera editing. While the multicamera editing feature can
be used with any multitake video event, VEGAS Pro makes it easy to build multitake events
for multicamera editing.

For more information, see Using takes as alternate versions of events (p. 353)

1. When VEGAS Pro creates multitake events from your camera tracks, the take
order will match the track order. As a result, it’s a good idea to first reorder your
tracks if you have a particular order you prefer (wide shot, medium shots, hand-
held).

2. Once all of your cameras are laid out across tracks, synchronized, and ordered to
your satisfaction, select the tracks from which you want to create a multicamera
track (or press Ctrl+A to select all tracks).
For more information about synchronizing your video, see Synchronizing video in
multicamera projects (p. 430)

3. From the Tools menu, choose MULTICAMERA, and choose CREATE

MULTICAMERA TRACK from the submenu. VEGAS Pro builds a set of tracks con-
taining a series of events, with takes representing each of the cameras.
A new event is created for each time a camera was started and stopped, as well
as empty "(no camera)" takes for video events where cameras were missing.

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IMPORTANT If you have envelopes, effects, or motion applied to the original

camera tracks, these will be lost during this operation.

4. You're now ready to start editing your multicamera video.

For more information, see Editing multicamera video (p. 438)

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Editing multicamera video

Once you have synchronized multitake events, you can use multicamera editing mode to
choose takes and switch cameras. This can be done while VEGAS Pro is paused for cuts at
precise points (such as certain timecodes or beat markers), or it can be done live during
playback. Playback continues even when a take is chosen.

TIP When multicamera editing mode is active, video envelopes, effects, and motion are
bypassed in the Video Preview window to preserve your playback frame rate.

Enabling multicamera editing mode

To edit multicamera video in VEGAS Pro, you must enable multicamera editing mode. From
the Tools menu, choose MULTICAMERA, and choose ENABLE MULTICAMERA EDITING
from the submenu.

Previewing multiple takes

In multicamera editing mode, the Video Preview window switches into multicamera mode,
with a multicamera tiled view showing the contents of all takes simultaneously. The active
take is highlighted with a colored border.

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1 The active take is highlighted.

2 Camera or take name and number is displayed by default.

NOTE
● VEGAS Pro can preview many takes at once in multicamera mode, but your
computer performance will limit the playback frame rate.
● If you have multiple video tracks and/or overlapping video events, the topmost
multitake event is displayed in the Video Preview window. Single-take events,
such as title overlays, are ignored. When there are multiple video tracks, the
topmost event is the one on the topmost track. When there are overlapping
events on the same track, the topmost event is the one to the right.

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Toggling the display of camera/take name and number information

in the Video Preview window

The camera and take name and number information display in the Video Preview window
by default. You can toggle the display of this information from the Video tab of the Prefer-
ences window.

For more information, see Video Tab (p. 1117)

TIP You can also toggle the display of take names on events in the timeline. From the
View menu, choose ACTIVE TAKE INFORMATION.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES, and then click the Video tab.

2. To turn off display of take name information, clear the DISPLAY TAKE NAMES
check box. To turn off display of take number information, clear the DISPLAY
TAKE NUMBERS check box.

Setting the active take indicator color

You can select the color that highlights the active take in the Video Preview window.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES, and then click the Video tab.

2. Click the ACTIVE TAKE INDICATOR color swatch to display a color picker, where

you can choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click the button to
switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or click the eyedropper to sample a
color from your screen.

Previewing the full frame on an external monitor

You can choose to preview the full frame on an external monitor while in multicamera
mode. This allows you to see the final output without leaving multicamera mode.

From the Tools menu, choose MULTICAMERA, and then choose SHOW FULL FRAME IN
EXTERNAL MONITOR to toggle this option on or off.

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Choosing takes

There are several methods you can use for choosing takes, such as pressing number keys
or by clicking the takes in the Video Preview window. When you choose a take, VEGAS Pro
switches the active take for the multicamera event.

TIP Holding the Ctrl key while choosing a take will create a crossfade instead of a cut,
with the alignment and duration determined by the CUT-TO-OVERLAP CONVERSION

settings from the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog. For more information, see
Editing Tab (p. 1153)

In the Video Preview window, camera changes are displayed as the active take indicator
moving across takes. When multicamera mode is off, you'll see camera changes in the
video output.

To change takes, VEGAS Pro splits the event at the call point and switches the active take.

NOTE Empty takes [those marked with "(no camera)"] cannot be chosen.

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Recutting sections

You can change the take used for an entire time selection. When possible, events using the
same take are merged. If a take is not available for part of the time selection, those events
are unchanged.

There are several methods you can use for choosing takes, such as pressing number keys
or by clicking the takes in the Video Preview window. When you choose a take, VEGAS Pro
switches the active take for the multicamera event.

TIP Holding the Ctrl key while choosing a take will create a crossfade instead of a cut,
with the alignment and duration determined by the CUT-TO-OVERLAP CONVERSION

settings from the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog. For more information, see
Editing Tab (p. 1153)

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In the Video Preview window, camera changes are displayed as the active take indicator
moving across takes. When multicamera mode is off, you'll see camera changes in the
video output.

To change takes, VEGAS Pro splits the event at the call point and switches the active take.

NOTE Empty takes [those marked with "(no camera)"] cannot be chosen.

Expanding a multicamera track to multiple tracks

VEGAS Pro can expand a multicamera track to multiple component tracks.

1. Select a multicamera track in the track list.

2. From the TOOLS menu, choose MULTICAMERA, and then choose EXPAND TO
MULTIPLE TRACKS from the submenu.

3. You are prompted to either keep unused takes as muted events or delete them. If
you keep unused takes as muted events, you can recreate your multicamera track
later. Click YES to keep unused takes or NO to delete them.

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Resetting camera changes

To reset a range of time to use a single take (perhaps in order to redo the take choosing),
select a range of events in the timeline and right-click one event. From the shortcut menu,
choose TAKE, and then choose the take to use for all selected events.

Turning off multicamera editing mode

From the Tools menu, choose MULTICAMERA, and choose ENABLE MULTICAMERA
EDITING from the submenu to turn off multicamera editing mode once you have completed
your multicamera editing.

In normal editing mode, the output displays only the active take for each event. If neces-
sary, use traditional VEGAS Pro editing tools to refine the edit. You can re-enable the mul-
ticamera editing mode and do further take choosing at any time.

Stereoscopic 3D editing
You can use VEGAS® Pro to edit stereoscopic 3D (S3D) projects without any add-ons or
additional tools.

Editing a stereoscopic 3D project is just like editing a standard VEGAS Pro project and
requires minimal adjustment to your workflow:

1. Start a new project and set your project properties to choose a stereoscopic 3D
mode.

2. Set up your Video Preview window and external monitor (optional).

3. Add media to the timeline.

4. Synchronize and pair events on the timeline (when working with separate left and
right video streams) or set stereoscopic 3D media properties if necessary.

5. Align the left- and right-eye views and adjust video depth.

6. Render your project.

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Setting up your stereoscopic 3D project

The Video tab in the Project Properties dialog allows you to configure options for working

in 3D. For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

By default, the project's STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE, SWAP LEFT/RIGHT, and crosstalk can-
cellation settings will also be used when previewing and rendering your project, but you
can override the project settings if necessary.

1. From the File menu, choose PROPERTIES. The Project Properties dialog is dis-
played.

2. Choose a setting from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list.

Setting Description

Off Choose this setting when creating a 2D project.

Choose this setting when your project will contain

left- and right-eye views in a single frame.

Left- and right-eye views are displayed as half of

the available horizontal resolution.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

and the right-eye image is tinted red:
SIDE BY SIDE (HALF)

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Setting Description

Choose this setting when your project will contain

left- and right-eye views in a single frame.

Left- and right-eye views are displayed using the

full horizontal resolution.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

Side by side (full) and the right-eye image is tinted red:

Choose this setting when your project will contain

left- and right-eye views stacked in a single frame.

Left- and right-eye views are displayed as half of

the available vertical resolution.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

and the right-eye image is tinted red:
TOP/BOTTOM (HALF)

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Setting Description

Choose this setting when your project will contain

left- and right-eye views stacked in a single frame.

Left- and right-eye views are displayed using the

full vertical resolution.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

and the right-eye image is tinted red:

Top/bottom (full)

Left- and right-eye views use color filters to allow

anaglyphic glasses to separate the left- and right-
ANAGLYPHIC eye views.
(RED/CYAN)

ANAGLYPHIC
(AMBER/BLUE)

ANAGLYPHIC
(GREEN/MAGENTA)

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Setting Description

Choose this setting when your project will be dis-

played on a line-alternate 3D monitor.

Left- and right-eye views are interlaced using half

of the available vertical resolution.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

and the right-eye image is tinted red:
LINE ALTERNATE

Choose this setting when your project will be dis-

played on a DLP-based 3D monitor.

Left- and right-eye views are tiled using half of the

available horizontal and vertical resolution.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

and the right-eye image is tinted red:
CHECKERBOARD

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Setting Description

Choose the LEFT ONLY or RIGHT ONLY setting for

editing on a 2D monitor or if you're creating sep-
arate output files for the left- and right-eye out-
puts.

In this example, the left-eye image is tinted blue,

and the right-eye image is tinted red:

LEFT ONLY

RIGHT ONLY

Choose this setting to blend the left- and right-eye

images. This setting is useful when adjusting
events.

BLEND

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Setting Description

Choose this setting when performing vertical

adjustments to minimize vertical disparity.

Difference

3. Select the SWAP LEFT/RIGHT checkbox if you need to switch the left- and right-
eye pictures. This setting is useful if you're using a line-alternate display that dis-
plays the right eye on top, if you're using magenta/green anaglyphic glasses, or to
create cross-eye free-view 3D.

4. Drag the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider if you experience image bleed-

through. For example, if you see right-eye images in your left eye, you can adjust
the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider to compensate.
When your project's STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE is set to SIDE BY SIDE,
TOP/BOTTOM, LINE ALTERNATE, or CHECKERBOARD mode, crosstalk can-
cellation is active only when the FULL-RESOLUTION RENDERING QUALITY drop-
down list is set to GOOD or BEST. When using anaglyphic modes, crosstalk can-
cellation is active for any quality level.

5. Select the INCLUDE CANCELLATION IN RENDERS AND PRINT TO TAPE checkbox

if you want to use the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION setting in your final rendered
output. Clear the checkbox if you want to use crosstalk cancellation for pre-
viewing only.

Setting up stereoscopic 3D previews

You can use the Video tab in the Preferences dialog to choose the stereoscopic 3D format
that will be used to view your 3D project in the Video Preview window. For example, you
could choose ANAGLYPHIC (RED/CYAN) from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down

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list to preview your project using anaglyphic 3D glasses. For more information, see
Video Tab (p. 1117)

If you want to preview your project on a 3D television or monitor, you can use the Preview
Device tab in the Preferences dialog to configure a 3D display for previewing your project.
● If you're using an NVIDIA graphics card that supports 3D Vision technology and a
3D Vision monitor, choose the WINDOWS GRAPHICS CARD setting from the
DEVICE drop-down list in the Preview Device tab and choose LEFT AND RIGHT
from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list.
● If you're using an NVIDIA graphics card that supports 3D Vision technology and a
3D-capable HDTV, choose the WINDOWS GRAPHICS CARD setting from the
DEVICE drop-down list in the Preview Device tab and use the STEREOSCOPIC 3D
MODE drop-down list to choose the method your monitor uses to display ste-
reoscopic 3D content — typically SIDE BY SIDE (HALF) or LINE ALTERNATE. Be
sure to set the 3D mode in your television's setup menu and the VEGAS Pro Pre-
view Device tab.
● If you're using a 3D television connected to your computer via a IEEE 1394
(FireWire) connection, choose the OHCI COMPLIANT IEEE 1394/DV setting from
the DEVICE drop-down list in the Preview Device tab and use the
STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list to choose the method your television
uses to display stereoscopic 3D content.

During playback, select the VIDEO PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button in the
Video Preview window to enable your 3D display. You can turn off external preview by
pressing Alt+Shift+4 or by clicking the secondary display and pressing Esc.

For more information about setting up your specific hardware, see Preview Device Tab
(p. 1122).

Synchronizing stereoscopic 3D events

When shooting stereoscopic 3D using a pair of cameras, it is important to record a syn-
chronizing event. Some users clap or snap their fingers in front of the cameras; others use
a flash from a still camera, a pet-training clicker, or a professional slate.

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TIP
● If you're working with multistream 3D files or files that contain both images in
each frame, you don't need to align events. When you add multistream media
to a stereoscopic 3D project, the first stream will be used and paired with the
next stream.
If you need to change the mode for a media file or swap the left/right images,

you can use the Media tab of the Media Properties dialog. For more inform-
ation, see Viewing or changing media file properties (p. 162)
● If you have two files that have synchronized timecode — such as video shot on
a 3D camera that creates separate left- and right-eye clips — you don't need
to align the audio and video. Just select the clips in the Project Media window
and choose PAIR AS STEREOSCOPIC 3D SUBCLIP from the shortcut menu.

For more information, see Pairing two media files as a stereoscopic 3D

subclip (p. 129)
The first stream will be used and paired with the next stream. If you need to
change the mode for a media file or swap the left/right images, you can use the
Media tab of the Media Properties dialog.
● If you want to add stereoscopic 3D depth to tracks using 3D compositing, you
can use the STEREOSCOPIC 3D CAMERA controls on the Track Motion dialog.

For more information, see 3D compositing (p. 802)

Supported multistream formats:

● Dual-stream AVI or QuickTime files

● 3D AVC files created by 3D Bloggie HD cameras

● MPO (multiple picture object) 3D still images

● CineForm Neo3D 5.1 or later (a CineForm product or the free GoPro Studio is
required to read Cineform Neo3D files)
● Two separate files with names ending in _L and _R. When the left file is added to
the project, VEGAS Pro automatically adds the right file as well and creates a ste-
reoscopic 3D subclip.

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● Two separate files with pairing metadata from the Sony PMW-TD300 camera

● Two separate files from the Sony PMW-F3 camera using 3D Link

● Two separate files paired as described in this topic

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1. Add your media to the timeline using ADD ACROSS TRACKS mode so the video
for the left and right eyes is on separate tracks. In the following example, the left-
eye track is above the right-eye track.

2. Use one of the following methods to align the audio and video so the video output
is synchronized.
● If you used a slate or a loud clap for your synchronization point, you can
align the events to within a frame of each other using the audio waveforms:

1. Roughly align the audio waveforms by dragging events in the timeline.

2. Use the Zoom controls at the bottom-right corner of the timeline to

zoom in on the waveform. For more information, see Zooming and

magnification (p. 386)

3. Verify QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is enabled because you want video

frames to be aligned even if the audio is slightly out of alignment.

4. Drag a track's border to make the tracks taller and view large wave-
forms.

5. Use Shift+Up Arrow to magnify the waveforms if necessary.

6. Click the event you want to move and press 1 or 3 on the numeric
keypad to nudge the event by frames to the left or right.

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● Synchronizing a video event:

NOTE These steps require snapping to be enabled, so if you have not

already done so, turn snapping on by clicking the ENABLE SNAPPING but-

ton . For more information, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

1. Solo the video track.

2. Position the cursor at the synchronization point and drag the event's
snap offset so it snaps to the cursor.

3. Repeat steps a and b for each clip.

4. Drag the cursor to a snap point, and then snap the other clips to the
cursor.
If the cameras were not genlocked together (shooting at the same
cadence) you may find one to be up to half a frame ahead of the other.
Unless your scene has lots of fast motion, this is acceptable; just be
sure to get them as close as possible on the timeline.

3. Verify alignment:

1. Drag the LEVEL slider on the top track to set its opacity to 50%.

2. Find a portion of the video with good movement and verify the motion is the
same in both clips and that one clip does not lead the other.
If the cameras were not genlocked together (shooting at the same cadence),
you may find that one clip is up to half a frame ahead of the other. Unless
your scene has fast motion, this is acceptable.

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4. Select both video events, right-click one of the events, and choose PAIR AS
STEREOSCOPIC 3D SUBCLIP.
One video event is deleted from the timeline, the active take for the event is set to
the new multistream subclip, and a new multistream clip is added to the Project
Media window. If you view the clip properties for the new subclip, you'll see that
the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE is set to PAIR WITH NEXT STREAM.

5. Delete the audio and video tracks you created in step 1.

After synchronizing the events, you will have a paired stereoscopic subclip in the
Project Media window. You can drag these clips to the timeline as stereoscopic
3D media.

TIP
● You can also select tracks to pair stereoscopic subclips. Select both tracks,
right-click one of the tracks, and choose PAIR AS STEREOSCOPIC 3D
SUBCLIPS. Overlapping events on the tracks are paired as stereoscopic sub-
clips. If there is an empty track remaining, it is deleted.
● If your camera rig used mirrors or inverted cameras and produced flipped or
rotated images that were not corrected in camera, you can correct the clip

with the Stereoscopic 3D Adjust plug-in. For more information, see Align-
ing left- and right-eye views and adjusting depth (p. 456)

Aligning left- and right-eye views and adjusting depth

It is very important that stereoscopic 3D video have differences between the views only in
horizontal displacement. Any vertical or rotational misalignment will detract from the view-
ing experience and may even cause viewer discomfort. Also, it is important to limit the
amount and direction of horizontal offset to create comfortable depth.

For example, when shooting with parallel-axis cameras, all of the action is usually in front
of the screen, and you need to use horizontal image translation to push most of it behind
the screen.

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Use the 3D glasses in combination with viewing the output without the glasses to create
good alignment and depth settings. You usually want all of the action behind the screen
plane, only crossing the screen plane for dramatic or special effect. However, make sure
never to create divergence, where the left-eye picture would appear more than 2.5 inches
to the left of the right-eye picture on the largest screen where your movie will be shown.

For example, if the largest screen to be used is 16:9 with a 106-inch diagonal, the width is
87% of the diagonal, or about 92 inches. With 1920x1080 content, 2.5 inches is only 52
pixels, so make sure your distant objects are never more than 52 pixels apart.

Stereoscopic 3D Adjust

You can use the Stereoscopic 3D Adjust plug-in to adjust horizontal offset, vertical off-
set, keystoning, and rotation. This plug-in can be applied at the media level, event level,

track level, or video output. For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

You can use the plug-in's controls as follows:

Item Description

Drag the slider to adjust the horizontal alignment of the left- and
Horizontal
right-eye views to set the perceived position of the video relative to
Offset
screen depth.

Vertical Off- If left- and right-eye views are not aligned vertically, drag the slider
set to correct the offset.

If left- and right-eye views are not zoomed identically, drag the slider
Zoom
to correct the offset.

Drag the slider to correct for image keystoning. Image keystoning

Keystone
occurs when the left- and right-eye cameras are not parallel.

Drag the slider to correct for camera tilt in the left- and right-eye
Rotation
views.

Auto Cor- Click to analyze left- and right-eye views and automatically calculate
rect values for VERTICAL OFFSET, ZOOM, KEYSTONE, and ROTATION.

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Item Description

Flip Hori- Choose a setting from the drop-down list to flip the image for inver-
zontal ted cameras.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to flip the image for mirror
Flip Vertical
rigs or inverted cameras.

Select this checkbox if you want to automatically crop the left- and
Automatic
right-eye views during adjustment to prevent black borders created
Crop
by the plug-in's adjustments.

When the AUTOMATIC CROP checkbox is cleared, you can drag this
Crop
slider to adjust image cropping.

Drag the LEFT or RIGHT sliders as needed to correct for screen-edge

violations.

If your stereoscopic 3D project contains objects that cross the

screen edge and appear in front of the screen, users will see con-
flicting depth cues: the 3D effect tells the user's eyes that an object
should appear in front of the screen, but the edge of the screen con-
tradicts the screen depth.

For example, in the following example, dragging the LEFT slider

masks the left edge of the frame to prevent the kayak from crossing
Floating win-
the edge of the screen.
dows

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TIP
● 3D depth adjustment is a complex process and is out of the scope of this doc-
ument. For more information, please review a reference such as 3D Movie Mak-
ing: Stereoscopic Digital Cinema from Script to Screen by Bernard Mendiburu.
● When you're working with a stereoscopic 3D project, a separate checkbox is

displayed in the window for the left- and right-eye video: .

By limiting an effect to the left or right eye only, you can use multiple instances
of a plug-in with different settings for each eye.

Rendering a stereoscopic 3D project

When you render your project, the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE setting from the Video tab in
the Project Properties dialog is used by default.

If you want to use a different rendering format (to deliver separate left- and right-eye mas-
ters, for example, or to create multiple versions of your project), you can change the ren-
dering mode.

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TIP
Supported 3D rendering formats:
● Video in a frame-compatible format. Set your project's STEREOSCOPIC 3D
MODE to SIDE BY SIDE (HALF), TOP/BOTTOM (HALF), or LINE ALTERNATE and
render using a standard file format template.
● CineForm Neo3D (requires CineForm NeoHD, Neo4k, or Neo3D 5.1 or later).
You can create a custom QuickTime or AVI render template that uses
CineForm as your video format. Rendering with this template will create a
Neo3D file that can be used by any application that supports the CineForm ste-
reoscopic 3D format.
● Two separate files. You can create two custom templates and use the Project
tab in the Custom Settings dialog to set the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE for one
template to LEFT ONLY and the other to RIGHT ONLY. You can then render the
files separately or use TOOLS | SCRIPTING | BATCH RENDER to render the
left- and right-eye files.
● Rendering using the Sony AVC/MVC plug-in with one of the following tem-
plates creates two files when you render your stereoscopic 3D video:
● MVC 1280x720-60p, 25 Mbps video stream

● MVC 1280x720-50p, 25 Mbps video stream

● MVC 1920x1080-24p, 25 Mbps video stream

The base stream is a full-resolution 2D AVC video, and the dependent stream
is an MVC video that contains video data for the other eye.
● Rendering using a custom Sony AVC/MVC template with the following settings
will create a single AVC/H.264 file with SEI frame packing arrangement
metadata to indicate stereoscopic 3D playback:
◉ VIDEO FORMAT: AVC

◉ STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE: SIDE BY SIDE (HALF)

1. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS to display the Render As dialog.

2. Use the FOLDER boxto choose where you want to save your file:

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a. The FOLDER box displays the path to the folder where your file will be
saved. Click the down arrow to choose a recently used folder, or click the
BROWSE button to specify a new folder.

b. Type a name in the NAME box, or click the BROWSE button and select a file
in the browse window to replace an existing file.

3. Use the FORMAT box to choose the type of file you want to create.
The FORMATS box displays the file types and formats you can use to render your
file. Once you have selected a format the TEMPLATES box will list all of the avail-
able templates for that format.

4. Click the CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATE button to create a new template.

5. In the Custom Settings dialog, click the Project tab.

6. From the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list, choose the setting that you
want to use for rendering your project.
Choose USE PROJECT SETTINGS if you want to use the setting from the Video
tab in the Project Properties dialog, or choose another mode if you want to over-
ride the project setting when rendering.

Setting Description

Use project set- Uses the setting from the Video tab in the Project Prop-
tings erties dialog.

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Setting Description

Choose this setting when your rendered video will con-

tain left- and right-eye views in a single frame.

Left- and right-eye views are displayed as half of the

available horizontal resolution.

YOUTUBE 3D

YouTube 3D uses frame-compatible video, so you can

create a custom render template using a format that is
Side by side compatible with YouTube, such as XDCAM EX, Win-
(half) dows Media Video, or MainConcept MPEG-2. For the
custom template, set the stereoscopic 3D mode to
SIDE BY SIDE (HALF) and select the SWAP
LEFT/RIGHT checkbox since YouTube 3D defaults to
this layout.

When you upload your video to YouTube, add

YT3D:ENABLE=LR as a tag to enable 3D viewing. Also
add YT3D:ASPECT=16:9 (or YT3D:ASPECT=4:3) to set
the viewing frame aspect ratio.

Choose this setting when your rendered video will con-

tain left- and right-eye views in a single frame.
Side by side (full)
Left- and right-eye views are displayed using the full
horizontal resolution.

Choose this setting when your rendered video will con-

tain left- and right-eye views stacked in a single frame.
Top/bottom (half)
Left- and right-eye views are displayed as half of the
available vertical resolution.

Choose this setting when your rendered video will con-

tain left- and right-eye views stacked in a single frame.
Top/bottom (full)
Left- and right-eye views are displayed using the full
vertical resolution.

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Setting Description

Anaglyphic
(red/cyan)
Left- and right-eye views use color filters to allow ana-
Anaglyphic
glyphic glasses to separate the left- and right-eye
(amber/blue)
views.
Anaglyphic
(green/magenta

Choose this setting when your rendered video will be

displayed on a line-alternate 3D monitor.
Line alternate
Left- and right-eye views are interlaced using half of
the available vertical resolution.

Choose this setting when your rendered video will be

displayed on a DLP-based 3D monitor.
Checkerboard
Left- and right-eye views are tiled using half of the
available horizontal and vertical resolution.

Choose the LEFT ONLY or RIGHT ONLY setting if

you're creating separate renders for the left- and right-
eye outputs. These settings are useful when your out-
put format requires separately rendered files for the
left and right eyes.

TIP You can use the Batch Render script to auto-

mate the process. Create two custom rendering tem-
Left only
plates: for one template, set the stereoscopic 3D
Right only mode to LEFT ONLY and set the other template's
stereoscopic 3D mode to RIGHT ONLY. Then
choose TOOLS | SCRIPTING | BATCH RENDER,
select your format and select the checkbox for your
two templates, set the destination folder and file
name, and click OK. VEGAS Pro will render each file
with the name of the template appended to the file
name.

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Setting Description

Choose this setting to blend the left- and right-eye

Blend
images. This setting is useful when adjusting events.

Choose this setting when performing vertical adjust-

Difference
ments to minimize vertical disparity.

7. Select the SWAP LEFT/RIGHT checkbox if you need to switch the left- and right-
eye pictures. This setting is useful if you're using a line-alternate display that dis-
plays the right eye on top, if you're using magenta/green anaglyphic glasses, or to
create cross-eye free-view 3D.

8. Drag the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider if you experience image bleed-

through. For example, if you see right-eye images in your left eye, you can adjust
the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider to compensate.
When your project's STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE is set to SIDE BY SIDE,
TOP/BOTTOM, LINE ALTERNATE, or CHECKERBOARD mode, crosstalk can-
cellation is active only when the FULL-RESOLUTION RENDERING QUALITY drop-
down list is set to GOOD or BEST. When using anaglyphic modes, crosstalk can-
cellation is active for any quality level.

9. Save your template for future use:

a. Type a name in the TEMPLATE box to identify your rendering template.

b. Click the SAVE TEMPLATE button .

c. Click OK to return to the Render As dialog.

10. Click RENDER to render your project using your new template.

Using hardware controllers

VEGAS® Pro supports several types of hardware devices you can use to adjust controls in
the user interface, from a full-featured, professional control surface to a simple gaming joy-
stick.

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A hardware controller lends a tactile element to your editing sessions, providing a hands-
on feel that your mouse just can't duplicate.

Using a control surface

A control surface is a hardware device that uses knobs, faders, and buttons to control user
interface elements that are normally controlled with a mouse. Using a control surface lends
a tactile feel to your editing sessions.

Unlike keyboard shortcuts—which determine the shortcut's behavior based on the portion
of the VEGAS Pro window that has focus—a control surface's mapped functions work no
matter what part of the application has focus.

Connecting your control surface

You can use one Mackie Control Universal (with up to four Mackie Control Universal
Extenders), one Frontier TranzPort, one PreSonus FaderPort, and up to five generic control
surfaces with VEGAS Pro.

If you’re using Mackie Control Extenders, you'll need a multiport MIDI interface with MIDI
In/Out ports for each device.

Perform the following steps for each device.

1. Connect the MIDI Out port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI In port on your con-
trol surface.

2. Connect the MIDI In port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI Out port on your con-
trol surface.

3. If you're using Mackie Control Extenders, repeat Steps 1 and 2 for each Mackie
Control Extender.

NOTE If you're using a USB interface such as the Frontier TranzPort, just plug
in the USB cable.

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Configuring VEGAS Pro to use your control surface

Use the MIDI tab in the Preferences dialog to select the device to which your control sur-
face is connected.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Enable your MIDI input and output ports:

a. Select the MIDI tab in the Preferences dialog. For more information, see
MIDI Tab (p. 1151)

b. In the MAKE THESE DEVICES AVAILABLE FOR MIDI OUTPUT box, select the
checkbox for the MIDI port that is connected to your control surface's In
port.

c. In the MAKE THESE DEVICES AVAILABLE FOR MIDI INPUT box, select the
checkbox for the MIDI port that is connected to your control surface's Out
port.

d. Click APPLY.

3. Choose your control surface:

a. Select the External Control & Automation tab in the Preferences dialog.
For more information, see External Control & Automation Tab (p. 1169)

b. Choose a device from the AVAILABLE DEVICES drop-down list and click the
ADD button. Adding a device loads its default profile. If you want to cus-
tomize the behavior of the control surface, double-click its entry in the
ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list.

4. Click OK to apply your changes and close the Preferences dialog.

Configuring or customizing your control surface

Use the External Control & Automation tab in the Preferences dialog to select the control
surfaces you want to use and adjust their configuration.

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1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Select the External Control & Automation tab. For more information, see
External Control & Automation Tab (p. 1169)

3. Choose a device from the AVAILABLE DEVICES drop-down list and click the ADD
button. The device is added to the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list.

4. Double-click the entry in the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list to display the con-
figuration dialog.
● For information about setting up a Mackie control, see Using a Mackie Con-
trol (p. 468)
● For information about setting up a Frontier TranzPort, see Using a Frontier
TranzPort (p. 492)
● For information about setting up a PreSonus FaderPort, see Using a PreSo-
nus FaderPort (p. 495)
● For information about setting up a generic MIDI control, see Using a Generic
Control Surface (p. 498)

Using your control surface

This section describes how to use your control surface in general terms.

For information about your specific device, please refer to the manufacturer's doc-
umentation.

1. From the Options menu, choose EXTERNAL CONTROL to enable your selected
control surfaces.

2. If necessary, press the AUTOMATION button on your control surface.

3. Click the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button for each track you want to edit with
the control surface and choose AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION

WRITE (LATCH) to enable automation recording. For more information, see

Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p. 1096)

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To enable automation recording for audio busses or the main video output, use

audio bus tracks or the video bus track. For more information, see Audio bus
tracks (p. 407) and Video bus track (p. 410)

4. Use the functions on your control surface to edit your project.

Using a Mackie Control

The Mackie Control is fully supported by VEGAS Pro. An overlay is available from Mackie
that you can use to label the Mackie Control buttons and controls with their mapped func-
tions in VEGAS Pro:http://www.mackie.com.

The overlay identifies the default control mapping. You can also customize the buttons and
controls on the Mackie control. When you use the default mapping, the Mackie Control is
divided into several functional areas. All functionality described in this topic refers to the
default control mapping.

For information about your Mackie Control, please refer to the manufacturer's doc-
umentation.

For more information about setting up a control surface, see Using a control surface (p.
465)

IMPORTANT The Mackie Control Universal can control either trim or automation set-
tings. In order to control automation settings, the AUTOMATION button in the Audi-
o/Video section must be selected, and the track or bus you want to edit must be set to
AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH). Hold the F1 button

while turning the V-Pot (or use the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button ) to change the
automation recording mode for each track and bus track.

Configuring channel mappings for Mackie Control Extenders

If you're using Mackie Control Extenders, you'll need to set up your channel mapping.

For example, if your Mackie Control Universal is on the left of your Mackie Control
Extender, you could configure the Mackie Control to adjust channels 1 through 8 and use
the Mackie Control Extender to adjust channels 9 through 16.

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If you have a Mackie Control Universal positioned between two Mackie Control Extenders,
you could adjust channels 1 through 8 on the left Extender, adjust channels 9 through 16 on
the Mackie Control Universal, and adjust channels 17 through 24 on the right Extender.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Select the External Control & Automation tab.

3. Double-click your Mackie Control in the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list to display
the Configure Mackie Control dialog.
The current channel mapping is displayed on each device's LCD.

4. Choose the channels you want to control with the Mackie Control Universal:

a. From the DEVICE TYPE drop-down list, choose MACKIE CONTROL.

b. From the CHANNEL MAPPING drop-down list, choose the channels you want
to adjust with the Mackie Control Universal.

5. Choose the channels you want to control with the Mackie Control Extender:

a. From the DEVICE TYPE drop-down list, choose MACKIE CONTROL

EXTENDER.

b. From the CHANNEL MAPPING drop-down list, choose the channels you want
to adjust with the Mackie Control Extender.

6. Repeat Step 5 for each Mackie Control Extender.

7. Click OK to apply your changes and close the Configure Mackie Control dialog.

8. Click OK to apply your changes and close the Preferences dialog.

Configuring or customizing control mappings

Use the External Control & Automation tab in the Preferences dialog to select the control

surfaces you want to use and adjust their configuration. For more information, see
External Control & Automation Tab (p. 1169)

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TIP When you customize your control mappings, button functions may not match the
labels on the overlay. You can click the DEFAULT ALL button in the Configure Mackie
Control dialog to restore the default settings.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Select the External Control & Automation tab.

3. Double-click your Mackie Control in the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list to display
the Configure Mackie Control dialog.

4. To add or change a function do the following:

a. Select an item in the USER DEFINED SURFACE CONTROL MAPPINGS list.

b. Select an item in the AVAILABLE HOST FUNCTIONS list.

c. Click the ASSIGN button.

5. To remove a function, select an item in the USER DEFINED SURFACE CONTROL

MAPPINGS list and click the CLEAR button.

6. To remove all functions, click the CLEAR ALL button.

7. To replace all custom functions with the default settings, click the DEFAULT ALL
button.

Channel section (not shown)

The channel section includes V-Pots (knobs), buttons, and faders that you can use to edit
your tracks and busses.

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Area Description

Adjusts values for panning, volume (when FLIP button is selected),

video track opacity (when FLIP button is selected), video track fade-
to-color, and effect parameter values.
● Adjusts track volume when the PAN or SENDS button is selec-
ted and the FLIP button is selected.
● Adjusts audio track panning when the PAN button is selected.

● Adjusts bus send levels when the SENDS button is selected.

● Adjusts video track opacity when the VIDEO and FLIP buttons
are selected.
● Adjusts video track fade-to-color envelope when the VIDEO
V-Pot button is selected, the AUTOMATION button in the Audio/Video
section is selected, and the track is in AUTOMATION WRITE
(TOUCH) or AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH) mode.
● Adjusts the track compositing mode when the VIDEO button is
selected and you press the OUTPUT/COMPOSITING button
twice to change the track assignment to CO.
● Adjusts effect parameters when the INSERTS button is selec-
ted.

The V-Pot is velocity sensitive, so rotating quickly changes values

quickly, and you can press the button to choose a selection.

When the PAN or SENDS button is selected, press the V-Pot to edit the
track or bus effects chain.

Arms audio tracks for recording.

Rec/Rdy
button
For more information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

Signal
Indicates whether an audio track or bus is outputting a signal.
LED

Solo but-
Press to solo a track or remove it from the solo group.
ton

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Area Description

Mute but-
Press to mute or unmute a track.
ton

Select but-
Press to select a track.
ton

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Area Description

Adjusts the track or bus level (unless the FLIP button is selected).

When the AUTOMATION button is selected, the fader adjusts the auto-
mation envelope if the track is in AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or
AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH) mode.

The fader can also adjust settings for the following items when you
select other buttons in the Channel section.
● Adjusts audio track panning when the PAN and FLIP buttons
are selected.
● Adjusts bus send levels when the SENDS and FLIP buttons are
selected.
● Adjusts video track opacity when the VIDEO button is selec-
ted.
● Adjusts video track fade-to-color settings when the
Fader AUTOMATION, VIDEO, and PAN/FADE TO COLOR buttons are
selected.
● Adjusts video track fade-to-color envelope when the following
conditions are met:
◉ The VIDEO button is selected.

◉ The AUTOMATION button in the Audio/Video section is

selected.
◉ The PAN/FADE TO COLOR button is selected.

◉ The track is in AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or

AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH) mode.

The fader is touch sensitive, so if you're recording automation para-

meters, recording will begin when you touch the fader and stop when
you release it. The current setting is displayed in the Mackie Control dis-
play.

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Footswitches (not shown)

The Mackie Control has two switched inputs (labeled USER SWITCH A and USER SWITCH
B) that you can use to connect footswitches.

By default, footswitch A toggles playback, and footswitch B starts and stops recording.

You can customize the footswitches in the Configure Mackie Control dialog. Double-click
MACKIE CONTROL in the Active control devices list on the External Control & Automation
tab of the Preferences dialog to display the Configure Mackie Control dialog.

Control buttons

The buttons in the Control section determine the operation of the V-Pots and faders in the
channel section of your Mackie Control. In every mode, the fader adjusts track volume, and
the V-Pot adjusts the selected control mode. You can press the FLIP button to reverse the
V-Pot and fader function.

Button Description

Press the OUTPUT button to set the output device for each track
or bus. Turn the V-Pot in the channel section to choose an output
Output /
device and press the V-Pot to select it.
Compositing
When the VIDEO button is selected, you can set the compositing
mode for each track using the V-Pot.

Press to set the recording input device for each track. Turn the V-
Pot in the channel section to choose an input device and press the
Input /
V-Pot to select it.
Motion Blur
When the VIDEO button is selected, press the V-Pot to enable or
bypass motion blur for each video track.

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Button Description

Press to adjust track panning using the V-Pot in the channel sec-
tion.

In 5.1 surround projects, pressing the Pan button toggles left-to-

right panning, front-to-rear panning, and center-channel level
Pan / adjustment using the V-Pot.

Fade to Color When the VIDEO button is selected, you can adjust the opacity of
video tracks with the fader in the channel section and adjust fade-
to-color settings with the V-Pot when the AUTOMATION button in
the Audio/Video section is selected and the track is in
AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH)
mode.

Press to adjust bus and assignable effects send levels. Press the
SENDS button to scroll through the available busses and
Sends
assignable effects chains, and then turn the V-Pot to adjust the
send level.

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Button Description

Press to adjust effects settings.

Press the button once to display PL in the Mackie Control Assign-

ment display. The Mackie Control LCD displays the effects that are
assigned to each track or bus. The following example shows a
three-track project:

Turn the V-Pot to scroll through the effects, and press the V-Pot to
edit the current effect. In editing mode, PE is displayed in the
Assignment display. The following example shows the settings for
the Noise Gate plug-in on track one:

PE mode uses the following controls:

● V-Pots 1 - 4: Turn to edit the effect's parameters. For
Inserts
switch parameters such as Bypass, press the V-Pot to
change the setting.
● V-Pot 5: Turn to scroll through an effect's property pages.

● V-Pot 6: Turn to choose from a plug-in's available presets.

Press the V-Pot to choose a preset.
● V-Pot 7: Turn to edit the current effect for a different chan-
nel.
● V-Pot 8: Turn to choose other effects for the current chan-
nel.

Press the INSERTS button again to view effects chains. PS is dis-

played in the Assignment display. The following example shows
the effects chain on track one:

PS mode uses the following controls:

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Button Description

● V-Pots 1, 3, and 5: Turn to choose other effects for the cur-

rent channel. Press to edit the selected effect and enter PE
mode.
● V-Pots 2, 4, and 6: After choosing an effect with V-Pot 1, 3,
or 5, press V-Pot 2, 4, or 6 to add it to the channel.
● V-Pot 7: If a channel has multiple pages of effects in the
chain, turn to display additional effects. In the previous
example, AUD 1 1/2 means that track one has two pages of
effects.
● V-Pot 8: Turn to choose effects chains for other channels.

When <NO INSERT> is displayed above a V-Pot, you can turn the
V-Pot to view effects that you can add to the chain. New effects
are displayed with a *. Press the next V-Pot (to the right) to add the
effect.

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Button Description

Press to adjust track or bus settings using the F1 through F6 but-

tons.
● F1: Hold the button and turn the V-Pot to change the auto-
mation recording mode for each track and bus track.

For more information, see Recording track envelope

and keyframe automation (p. 1096)
● F2: Hold the button and turn the V-Pot to change the cur-
rent panning mode.

For more information, see Audio panning modes (p.

908)
● F3: Hold the button and press the V-Pot to change the
track phase.
● F4: Hold the button and turn the V-Pot to change record
Settings input monitoring settings when you're using an ASIO audio
device.

For more information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

● F5: When the SENDS button is selected, press the
SETTINGS button and hold F5 while pressing the V-Pot to
change a track's bus or assignable effects send level to
Pre Volume or Post Volume. Press the SENDS button to
scroll through the available bus and effects sends.

For more information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

● F6: Press the SETTINGS button and hold F6 while pressing
the V-Pot on a channel to return the channel's settings to
the track defaults.

For more information, see Setting default track prop-

erties (p. 426)

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Fader Banks buttons

The Fader Banks buttons control the behavior of the channel section controls.

Button Description

Press the left or right arrow button to scroll the channels 8 units at a
time.
Bank
For example, if tracks 1-8 are currently displayed, pressing the right
arrow will change to tracks 9-16.

Press the left or right arrow button to scroll the channels 1 unit at a
time.

For example, if tracks 1-8 are currently displayed, pressing the right
arrow will change to tracks 2-9.
Channel
Hold the OPTION button while pressing either Channel button to
change track order. For example, if track two is selected and you press
OPTION+ < CHANNEL, track two becomes track one. Conversely, if
track one is selected and you press OPTION + CHANNEL >, track one
becomes track two.

Flip Press to exchange the behavior of the fader and V-Pot when allowed.

Press to toggle audio and video modes.

For example, you press the PAN/FADE button in audio mode, you can
perform audio track panning with the V-Pot.
Video
If you press the button in video mode, you can adjust fade-to-color set-
tings if the AUTOMATION button in the Audio/Video section is selected
and the track is in AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION
WRITE (LATCH) mode.

Display buttons

The Display buttons control the Mackie Control LCD display.

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Button Description

When you're working with audio tracks or busses, press to dis-

play meters or numeric values. Even in Meters mode, numeric val-
ues are displayed when you edit a value.

In Audio mode, hold the SHIFT button in the Modifiers section

while pressing the METERS/VALUES button to toggle control of
tracks, busses, or tracks and busses.
Meters/Values
● Press once to show audio tracks.

● Press again to show audio tracks.

● Press again to show busses.

● Press again to show tracks and busses.

Press and hold to display the current time format. Turn V-Pot 8
while holding the button to change the format.
Time Fmt Zero
Hold the SHIFT button in the Modifiers section while pressing the
TIME FMT/ZERO button to set the current cursor position to zero.

Markers buttons

The Markers buttons control additional track and channel settings.

Button Description

Press to place the cursor at marker 1, or hold Shift and press to

place the cursor at marker 9.

When the SETTINGS button is selected, hold the button and turn the
Marker 1/9
V-Pot to change the automation recording mode for each track and
Automation
bus track.
Mode

For more information, see Recording track envelope and key-

frame automation (p. 1096)

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Button Description

Press to place the cursor at marker 2, or hold Shift and press to

place the cursor at marker 10.
Marker 2/10 When the SETTINGS button is selected, hold the button and turn the
Pan Mode V-Pot to change the current panning mode.

For more information, see Audio panning modes (p. 908)

Press to place the cursor at marker 3, or hold Shift and press to

Marker 3/11 place the cursor at marker 11.
Track Phase When the SETTINGS button is selected, hold the button and press
the V-Pot to change the track phase.

Press to place the cursor at marker 4, or hold Shift and press to

place the cursor at marker 12.

When the Settings button is selected, hold the button and turn the
Marker 4/12
V-Pot to change record input monitoring settings when you're using
Input Monitor
an ASIO audio device.

For more information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

Press to place the cursor at marker 5, or hold Shift and press to

place the cursor at marker 13.

When the PAN button is selected, press the SETTINGS button and
then hold F5 while pressing the V-Pot to change the bus or
Marker 5/13 assignable effects output fader to Pre FX or Post FX.
Pre/Post
When the SENDS button is selected, press the SETTINGS button
and hold F5 while pressing the V-Pot to change a track's bus or
assignable effects send level to Pre Volume or Post Volume. Press
the SENDS button to scroll through the available bus and effects
sends.

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Button Description

Press to place the cursor at marker 6, or hold Shift and press to

place the cursor at marker 14.
Marker 6/14 Press the SETTINGS button and hold F6 while pressing the V-Pot on
Default
a channel to return the channel's settings to the track defaults.
For more information, see Setting default track properties (p. 426)

Press to place the cursor at marker 7, or hold Shift and press to

Marker 7/15
place the cursor at marker 15.

Press to place the cursor at marker 8, or hold Shift and press to

Marker 8/16
place the cursor at marker 16.

Add New buttons

The Add New buttons add busses or tracks to your project.

Button Description

Press to add a new audio track. When the VIDEO button is selected, a
Track
new video track is added.

Bus Press to add an audio bus to your project.

Windows buttons

The Windows buttons control the display of various VEGAS Pro windows.

Button Description

Master Press to show the Master Bus window. If the window is not docked,
Bus pressing the button shows/hides the window.

Video Pre- Press to show the Video Preview window. If the window is not docked,
view pressing the button shows/hides the window.

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Button Description

Press to show the Plug-In Manager window. If the window is not

Plug-Ins
docked, pressing the button shows/hides the window.

View buttons

The View buttons control the display of various sections of the VEGAS Pro window.

Button Description

Press to show or hide audio bus tracks in the VEGAS Pro timeline.

When the Video button is selected, press to show or hide the video bus
Bus track.
Tracks
For more information, see Audio bus tracks (p. 407) and Video bus
track (p. 410)

Dock Press to show or hide the Window Docking Area at the bottom of the
Area VEGAS Pro window.

Track
Press to show or hide the track list in the timeline.
List

Modifiers buttons

The Modifiers buttons extend the functionality of other buttons on the Mackie Control.

Button Description

Hold the SHIFT button while pressing a button labeled with inverse text
to perform the Shift function.
Shift
For example, hold SHIFT while pressing the UNDO/REDO button to
reverse an undo action.

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Button Description

Hold the OPTION/TRACK ORDER button while pressing a button in the

Settings, Add New, or Windows group for alternative functions.

Hold the OPTION/TRACK ORDER button while pressing a the CHANNEL

< or CHANNEL > button to change track order.

Hold the OPTION/TRACK ORDER button while pressing F1 to F16 to per-

form custom functions you can define. See the Configure or customize
your control mappings heading in this section for more information.

Use the External Control & Automation tab in the Preferences dialog to
select the control surfaces you want to use and adjust their con-
figuration.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the

Preferences dialog.

2. Select the External Control & Automation tab.

Option/ 3. Double-click your Mackie Control in the ACTIVE DEVICES list to

display the Configure Mackie Control dialog.
Track
Order 4. To add or change a function do the following:
● Select an item in the USER DEFINED SURFACE CONTROL
MAPPINGS list.
● Select an item in the AVAILABLE HOST FUNCTIONS list.

● Click the ASSIGN button.

5. To remove a function, select an item in the USER DEFINED

SURFACE CONTROL MAPPINGS list and click the CLEAR but-
ton.

6. To remove all functions, click the CLEAR ALL button.

7. To replace all custom functions with the default settings, click

the DEFAULT ALL button.

For more information, see External Control & Automation

Tab (p. 1169)

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Button Description

Ctrl Hold the CTRL button while using a control for alternative functions.

Hold the ALT button while using a control for alternative functions.
Alt Hold ALT while pressing F1 through F10 to run scripts 1-10 from the
Tools | Scripting submenu.

Audio/Video buttons

The Audio/Video buttons control various audio and video settings for your project.

Button Description

Press to place the controls on the Mackie Control in automation

mode. The controls in the channel section of the Mackie Control will
affect the automation parameters on the track or bus if
AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH)
Automation mode is selected.

When the button is not selected, the buttons control trim (static) val-
ues.

For more information, see Using automation (p. 1074)

Bypass FX Press to bypass/enable all audio effects.

Press to turn the metronome on or off.

Metronome
For more information, see Using the metronome (p. 891)

Press to toggle the project properties between stereo and 5.1 sur-
Surround/ round mode.

Ext Monitor When the VIDEO button is selected, press the SURROUND/EXT
MONITOR button to send your video preview to an external monitor.

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Button Description

Press to toggle the state of the DOWNMIX OUTPUT button in the

Downmix/ Master Bus window.

Split Screen When the VIDEO button is selected, press the DOWNMIX/SPLIT
SCREEN button to toggle split-screen video previews.

Press to toggle the state of the DIM OUTPUT button in the Master
Bus window.
Dim/
When the VIDEO button is selected, press the DIM/OVERLAYS but-
Overlays
ton to toggle the display of overlays (grid, safe areas, and RGB chan-
nels) in the Video Preview window.

Project buttons

The Project buttons perform various project-level commands.

Button Description

Save Press to save your project.

Press to reverse edit operations. Hold SHIFT while pressing the but-
Undo/Redo
ton to reverse an undo operation.

OK Not used.

Cancel Not used.

Timeline buttons

The Timeline buttons perform various commands for the project timeline.

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Button Description

Press to place a marker at the cursor position.

Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the MARKER/CD INDEX button
to place a CD index marker at the cursor position.

Hold the CTRL button while pressing the MARKER/CD INDEX button to
Marker/ remove a marker.
CD Index Hold the CTRL and SHIFT buttons while pressing the MARKER/CD
INDEX button to remove a CD index marker.

For more information, see Using markers, regions, and commands

(p. 267)

Press to convert the current selection to a region.

Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the REGION/CD TRACK button
to convert the current selection to a CD track region.
Region/
Hold the CTRL button while pressing the REGION/CD TRACK button to
CD Track
remove a region.

Hold the CTRL and SHIFT buttons while pressing the REGION/CD
TRACK button to remove a CD track.

Press to toggle looped playback mode.

Loop/
Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the LOOP/SELECT button to cre-
Select
ate a time selection from the loop region.

Press to set the beginning of the loop region at the cursor position.
Mark In/
Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the MARK IN/GO TO IN button to
Go to In
move the cursor to the beginning of the loop region.

Mark Press to set the end of the loop region at the cursor position.
Out/
Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the MARK OUT/GO TO OUT but-
Go to Out ton to move the cursor to the end of the loop region.

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Button Description

Press to toggle event edge-trimming mode. Press the right or left arrow
button to select the next or previous event edge, and then turn the jog
Event
dial to trim the event edge.
Trim/
Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the EVENT TRIM/CENTER
Center
CURSOR button to center the cursor in the timeline view.
Cursor

For more information, see Adjusting an event's length (p. 327)

Press to move the cursor to the beginning of the project.

RTZ/
Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the RTZ/END button to move the
End
cursor to the end of the project.

Transport buttons (not shown)

The Transport buttons allow you to navigate the timeline and preview your project.

Button Description

Rewind Press and hold to move backward through the timeline at 20x speed.

Fast For-
Press and hold to move forward through the timeline at 20x speed.
ward

Press to stop playback and return the cursor to its position before play-
back started.

Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the STOP button to create a
Stop
dynamic RAM preview.

For more information, see Using dynamic RAM previews (p. 200)

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Button Description

Press to start playback. Press again to stop playback and leave the
cursor at its current position.

Play Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the PLAY button to preview the
cursor position. To change the playback duration, use the CURSOR
PREVIEW DURATION control on the Editing tab of the Preferences dia-
log.

Press to start recording. Press again to stop recording and leave the
cursor at its current position.
Record
Hold the SHIFT button while pressing the RECORD button to render
the current selection to a new track.

Arrow buttons (not shown)

The arrow buttons allow you to navigate the timeline and preview your project.

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Button Description

When the ZOOM button is not selected:,

● Press the left or right arrow button to move left or right by
grid marks.
● When the EVENT TRIM button is selected, pressing the left or
right arrow button selects the previous or next event edge.
You can then use the jog dial to trim the event edge.
● Hold SHIFT while pressing the left or right arrow button to
select left or right by grid marks.
● Hold CTRL while pressing the left or right arrow button to
move left or right by edits on the focus track.
● Hold CTRL + SHIFT while pressing the left or right arrow but-
Left/Right ton to select left or right by edits on the focus track.

When the ZOOM button is selected:

● Press the left or right arrow button to move left or right by

pixels (when QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is turned off).

● Hold SHIFT while pressing the left or right arrow button to

select left or right by pixels.

● Hold CTRL while pressing the left or right arrow button to

move to the previous or next marker.

● Hold CTRL + SHIFT while pressing the left or right arrow but-

ton to select to the previous or next marker.

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Button Description

When the ZOOM button is not selected:

● Press to change the focus track.

● Hold SHIFT while pressing the up or down arrow button to

select a range of tracks.

When the ZOOM button is selected:

● Press to zoom in or out.
Up/Down
● Hold SHIFT while pressing the up or down arrow button to
change the magnification of audio waveforms.
● Hold CTRL while pressing the up or down buttons to zoom to
a selection or to the high in/max out.
● Hold CTRL+SHIFT while pressing the up or down buttons to
change track heights.

Jog dial (not shown)

The jog dial allows you to navigate the timeline and trim events.

Navigating the timeline

When playback is paused and the SCRUB button is not selected, the jog dial performs the
following functions:
● When the ZOOM button is not selected, turn the dial clockwise or coun-
terclockwise to navigate the timeline by frames.
● When the ZOOM button is selected, turn the dial clockwise or counterclockwise to
navigate the timeline by pixels.
● Hold the SHIFT button and turn the dial to create a time selection or extend a
selection.

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Scrubbing the timeline

During playback, turning the jog dial increases or decreases the playback rate.

When playback is paused and the SCRUB button is selected, turning the jog dial scrubs the
timeline.

Trimming events
1. Press the EVENT TRIM button to enter event trimming mode.

2. Press the left or right arrow button to select the event edge you want to trim. A
red bracket is displayed to indicate which event edge will be trimmed.

3. Turn the jog dial to trim the event edge left or right in one-frame increments. Hold
Ctrl while turning the dial to trim in one-pixel increments. Depending on the cur-
rent zoom level, the trim duration will vary.

For more information, see Adjusting an event's length (p. 327) and Zooming
and magnification (p. 386)

Using a Frontier TranzPort

Using a Frontier TranzPort, you can control VEGAS Pro wirelessly.

For more information about configuring VEGAS Pro to use a control surface, see Using a
control surface (p. 465)

View the control mappings

The map for the TranzPort assigns the controls as follows.

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Control Function Shift Function

Track Focus to previous

track or mixer con- Insert audio track.
trol.

Track
Focus to next track
or mixer control.

Arm track for

Rec
record.

Mute Mute track.

Solo Solo track.

Undo Undo. Redo.

In Set loop start.

Out Set loop end.

Punch Toggle metronome.

Toggle jog wheel control of volume, panning,

input, or output device for tracks or Mixer con-
trols.

1. Press TRACK or TRACK to select the

Toggle looped play-
Loop track you want to adjust.
back.
2. Press Shift + Loop until the item you want
to edit is displayed on the TranzPort.

3. Hold Shift while rotating the jog wheel to

adjust the selected control.

Toggle alternate
Shift
functions.

Markers Move to previous

Prev marker.

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Control Function Shift Function

Markers Insert marker at

Add cursor.

Markers Move to next

Next marker.

Jog
Scroll cursor. Adjust volume or pan for current track.
Wheel

Rewind. Go to start.

Fast forward. Go to end.

Stop playback or
recording.

Play/pause.

Punch in or start
recording.

Adjust track or bus volume

1. Press Track or Track to select the track or mixer control you want to adjust.

2. Press Shift+Loop until the TranzPort displays volume.

3. Hold Shift while rotating the jog wheel to adjust the volume of the selected track
or mixer control.

Adjust track or bus panning

1. Press Track or Track to select the track or mixer controlyou want to adjust.

2. Press Shift+Loop until the TranzPort displays panning.

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NOTE Not all mixer controls allow panning adjustment.

3. Hold Shift while rotating the jog wheel to adjust panning for the selected track or
mixer control.

Edit a track's input device

1. Press Track or Track to select the track you want to adjust.

2. Press Shift+Loop until the TranzPort displays the track's input device.

3. Hold Shift while rotating the jog wheel to scroll through the available inputs. When
you change the input device, an asterisk is displayed before the device name on
the TranzPort.

4. Press Shift+Punch to set the input device.

Edit a track or channel strip's output device

1. Press Track or Track to select the track or channel strip you want to adjust.

2. Press Shift+Loop until the TranzPort displays the track's output device.

3. Hold Shift while rotating the jog wheel to scroll through the available output
devices. When you change the output device, an asterisk is displayed before the
device name on the TranzPort.

4. Press Shift+Punch to set the output device.

Using a PreSonus FaderPort

You can use a PreSonus FaderPort to control VEGAS Pro.

For more information about configuring VEGAS Pro to use a control surface, see Using a
control surface (p. 465)

Viewing the control mappings

The map for the FaderPort assigns the controls as follows.

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Control Function Shift Function

Fader Adjusts volume for the active channel.

Pan Adjusts panning for the active channel.

Mute Mutes the active channel.

Solo Solos the active channel.

Rec Arm the active track for recording.

Scroll to previous track or Mixing Console chan-

Channel
nel strip.

Scrolls by 8 channels when BANK is selected.

Bank Toggles scroll channel/bank mode.

Scroll to next track or Mixing Console channel

Channel
strip.

Scrolls by 8 channels when BANK is selected.

Output Master Fader mode.

Enables channel automation in to Read mode.

Read
Press again to turn automation off.

Enables channel automation in to Write mode.

Write
Press again to turn automation off.

Enables channel automation in to Touch mode.

Touch
Press again to turn automation off.

Off Turns the fader off.

Mix Displays the Mixing Console. Dim output.

Proj Switches behavior of fader and rotary knob.

Trns Toggles automation for the active channel.

Undo Reverses the last action performed.

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Control Function Shift Function

Shift Toggle alternate functions.

Moves left to the

Punch Toggles the Metronome on or off.
next marker.

Move right to the

User Toggles metronome count-in.
next marker.

Add a marker at
Loop Toggles looped playback. the cursor pos-
ition.

Rewind. Go to start.

Fast forward. Go to end.

Stop playback or recording.

Play/pause.

Punch in or start recording.

Render selected
The LED blinks to indicate tracks are armed for track to a new
recording and illuminates solidly during record- track.
ing.

Punch in/out
Footswitch Toggles playback.
recording.

Adjusting track or bus volume

1. Press Channel or Channel to select the track or Mixing Console channel strip
you want to adjust.

2. Move the fader to adjust the volume of the selected track or channel strip.

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TIP If you want to use the FaderPort knob to adjust channel volume, select the
PROJ button.

Adjusting track or bus panning

1. Press Channel or Channel to select the track or Mixing Console channel strip
you want to adjust.

2. Turn the FaderPort knob to adjust panning for the selected track or channel strip.

TIP
● Not all channel strips allow panning adjustment.

● If you want to use the FaderPort fader to adjust channel volume, select
the PROJ button.

Starting recording

1. Arm the tracks you want to arm:

a. Press Channel or Channel to select the track you want to record into.

b. Press REC to arm the selected track for recording.

c. Repeat steps a and b for all tracks you want to arm.

2. Press RECORD to begin recording into all armed tracks.

3. When you're done recording, press RECORD again to stop.

Using a Generic Control Surface

You can configure up to five generic MIDI control surfaces to work with the VEGAS Pro
interface.

For information about your specific device, please refer to the manufacturer's doc-
umentation.

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For more information about setting up a control surface, see Using a control surface (p.
465)

NOTE
● If you have a MIDI controller that includes buttons and knobs or faders, you
can use the device as an external control device. For an example of how you
can set up a generic control surface to control tracks in your project, see Con-
figuring a Generic Control Surface (p. 501)
● Effects parameters cannot be adjusted with a generic controller.

IMPORTANT A generic control surface can control either trim or automation settings. In
order to control automation settings, you must assign a button to place the control sur-

face in automation mode, and the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button on the track or
bus you want to edit must be set to AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION
WRITE (LATCH).

Customizing your control mappings

Use the External Control & Automation tab in the Preferences dialog to select the control
surfaces you want to use and adjust their configuration.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Select the External Control & Automation tab.

3. Double-click the Generic Control entry in the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list to
display the Configure Generic Control dialog.

4. To add or change a function do the following:

a. Choose a setting from the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP drop-down list.

b. Select the LEARN check box.

c. Select an command in the HOST COMMAND list and activate the control on
your control surface.

d. You can click the EDIT button to fine-tune the MIDI message settings.

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5. Repeat step 4 for each command you want to make available on your control sur-
face.

TIP
If you want to control audio and video tracks with your MIDI controller, you'll
need to assign buttons to place the controller in Audio and Video mode.
From the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP drop-down list, choose ASSIGN and then
assign a MIDI message for the SET AUDIO MODE and SET VIDEO MODE com-
mands.
You can then choose AUDIO CHANNELS from the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP
drop-down list to configure controls for audio tracks, and choose VIDEO
CHANNELS from the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP drop-down list to configure con-
trols for video tracks.

6. To remove a function, select an item in the HOST COMMAND list and click the
RESET button.

7. To remove all functions, click the RESET ALL button.

8. Click the SAVE AS button to save your updated configuration file.

Loading a control mapping file

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Select the External Control & Automation tab in the Preferences dialog.

3. Double-click the Generic Control entry in the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list to
display the Configure Generic Control dialog.

4. Click the OPEN button and browse to the mapping file you want to use.

5. Click OK to apply your changes and return to the Preferences dialog.

6. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

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Configuring a Generic Control Surface

If you have a MIDI controller that includes buttons and knobs or faders, you can use the
device as an external control surface.

For more information, see Using a control surface (p. 465)

For example, let's assume that you have a MIDI keyboard that has 8 knobs. This topic will
show you how you can use those knobs to control the volume on the tracks in your project.

NOTE
● You can use this same process to assign a controller to any configurable para-
meter. To adjust track volume, we're selecting CHANNEL X FADER in the HOST
COMMAND list in step 9 below. However, if you wanted to adjust panning, you
could choose CHANNEL X PAN, or if you wanted to adjust the bus send level,
you could choose CHANNEL X SEND.
● Effect parameters cannot be controlled with a generic controller.

IMPORTANT A generic control surface can control either trim or automation settings. In
order to control automation settings, you must assign a button to place the control sur-

face in automation mode, and the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button on the track or
bus you want to edit must be set to AUTOMATION WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION
WRITE (LATCH).

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES to display the Preferences dia-
log.

2. Select the MIDI tab, and verify that the port where your controller is connected is
selected in the MAKE THESE DEVICES AVAILABLE FOR MIDI INPUT list.

3. Select the External Control & Automation tab.

4. From the AVAILABLE DEVICES drop-down list, choose GENERIC CONTROL, and
then click the ADD button. The Generic Control is added to the ACTIVE CONTROL
DEVICES list.

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5. Double-click the GENERIC CONTROL entry in the ACTIVE CONTROL DEVICES list
to display the Configure Generic Control dialog.

6. Because the MIDI keyboard in our example has 8 knobs, type 8 in the NUMBER OF
CHANNELS box.

7. Now, let's assign buttons to shift the channel banks up and down so you can con-
trol all the tracks in your project.
For example, when you start using the controller, the knobs will adjust tracks 1-8.
When you shift the banks down, you can control tracks 9-16, and so on.

a. From the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP drop-down list, choose CHANNELS.

b. Select the LEARN check box.

c. Select CHANNEL BANK DOWN from the HOST COMMAND list.

d. Press the button or key you want to use to switch to the next group of 8
tracks.

e. Select CHANNEL BANK UP from the HOST COMMAND list.

f. Press the button or key you want to use to switch to the previous group of 8
tracks.

8. Choose AUDIO CHANNELS from the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP drop-down list.

9. Program each knob:

a. Verify that the LEARN checkbox is still selected.

b. Select CHANNEL 1 FADER from the HOST COMMAND list.

c. Turn knob 1 on your MIDI keyboard. You'll notice that the CHANNEL, MIDI
MESSAGE, and MIDI DATA columns are updated.

d. Repeat steps 9a and 9b to program knobs 2 through 8 on your keyboard.

10. Now, let's assign a button to toggle the controller in and out of automation mode
so we can use the knobs to adjust the track's volume (trim) or record volume auto-
mation:

a. From the VIEW FUNCTION GROUP drop-down list, choose ASSIGN.

b. Select TOGGLE AUTOMATION MODE from the HOST COMMAND list.

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c. Verify that the LEARN checkbox is still selected, and then press the button
or key you want to use to switch your control surface in and out of auto-
mation mode.
You'll notice that the CHANNEL, MIDI MESSAGE, and MIDI DATA columns are
updated.

11. Click OK to close the CONFIGURE GENERIC CONTROL dialog, and then click OK
to close the PREFERENCES dialog.

12. From the Options menu, choose EXTERNAL CONTROL to enable your controller.
You're ready to start using your controller.
● Turn each knob on your controller and notice that turning knob 1 adjusts the
volume (trim) of track 1, turning knob 2 adjusts the volume of track 2, and so
on.
● Press the button that you assigned to scroll the channel bank down in step
7.
Turn each knob on your controller and notice that turning knob 1 now adjusts
the volume (trim) of track 9, turning knob 2 adjusts the volume of track 10,
and so on.
● Press the button that you assigned to scroll the channel bank up in step 7 so
you can control tracks 1-8 again.
● Press the button that you assigned to toggle automation mode in step 10.

Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button on each track to enable auto-

mation recording.
Start playback, and turn each knob on your controller, and notice that turn-
ing knob 1 records volume automation on track 1, turning knob 2 records
automation on track 2, and so on.
● Press the automation mode toggle button once more, and you can use the
knobs to adjust track trim levels again.

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Using a joystick for panning, adjusting controls, and color cor-

rection
You can use a joystick to adjust faders, surround panning, and the color wheel controls in
the color corrector plug-ins.

If you're using a force-feedback joystick, force feedback adds a tactile element to your
editing sessions.

The Joystick Profiles folder in the VEGAS Pro program folder contains .ini files to provide
button mapping for several joysticks and instructions for creating or editing joystick map-
pings. These profiles are specific to each model of joystick. If only trigger functions are
working for your joystick, a default profile is being used.

Follow your manufacturer's instructions for calibrating your joystick before using it with
VEGAS Pro.

Using the Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback 2 joystick

Control Function

Trigger Enable joystick.

Stick Move the control that has focus.

Hat
Move pan point to edges or corners of surround panner or Surround
(POV)
Panner window.
switch

Reset control to default for faders that take focus or Color Corrector
Button 2 color wheels. Centers track panning for stereo projects.

Open/close Surround Panner window.

Move to previous panning keyframe, Mixer control, or Color Corrector

Button 3
color wheel.

Move to next panning keyframe, Mixer control, or Color Corrector color

Button 4
wheel.

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Control Function

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust VOLUME fader in track
list.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust bus VOLUME or

Button 5
assignable effect OUTPUT fader in the Mixing Console.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust CENTER fader in Sur-
round Panner window.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust multipurpose fader in

track list.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust assignable effect input
Button 6
fader in the Mixing Console.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust SMOOTHNESS slider in

Surround Panner window.

Move focus to previous track, Mixing Console channel strip, or color

Button 7
wheel.

Button 8 Move focus to next track, Mixing Console channel strip, or color wheel.

Throttle
Combine with buttons 5, or 6 to adjust the selected control.
control

Using the LogitechWingman joystick

Control Function

Trigger Enable joystick.

Stick Move the control that has focus.

Hat
Move pan point to edges or corners of surround panner or Surround
(POV)
Panner window.
switch

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Control Function

Move focus to previous track, Mixing Console channel strip, or Color

Button 2
Corrector color wheel.

Move focus to next track, Mixing Console channel strip, or Color Cor-
Button 3
rector color wheel.

Move to next panning keyframe, Mixing Console channel strip, or Color

Button 4
Corrector color wheel.

Move to previous panning keyframe, Mixing Console channel strip, or

Button 5
Color Corrector color wheel.

Reset control to default for faders that take focus or Color Corrector
Button 6 color wheels. Centers track panning for stereo projects.

Open/close Surround Panner window.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust VOLUME fader in track
list.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust bus VOLUME or

Button 7
assignable effect OUTPUT fader in the Mixing Console.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust CENTER fader in the
Surround Panner window.

Throttle
Combine with button 7 to adjust the selected control.
control

Using the Gravis Eliminator Precision Pro joystick

Control Function

Trigger Enable joystick.

Stick Move the control that has focus.

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Control Function

Hat (POV) Move pan point to edges or corners of surround panner or Surround
switch Panner window.

Button 2 Change pan curve in Surround Panner window.

Move focus to previous track, Mixing Console channel strip, or Color

Button 3
Corrector color wheel.

Move focus to next track, Mixing Console channel strip, or Color Cor-
Button 4
rector color wheel.

Reset control to default for faders that take focus or Color Corrector
Button 5 color wheels. Centers track panning for stereo projects.

Open/close Surround Panner window.

Scroll Move to previous/next panning keyframe, Mixing Console channel

wheel strip, or Color Corrector color wheel.

Button 6

(Press Open/close Surround Panner window.

scroll
wheel)

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust VOLUME fader in the
track list.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust bus VOLUME or

Button 7
assignable effect OUTPUT fader in the Mixing Console.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust CENTER fader in the
Surround Panner window.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust multipurpose fader in

track list.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust assignable effect

Button 8
INPUT fader in the Mixing Console.

Hold button and adjust throttle control to adjust SMOOTHNESS slider

in Surround Panner window.

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Control Function

Throttle
Combine with button 7 or 8 to adjust the selected control.
control

Using a multimedia controller

VEGAS Pro supports several multimedia controllers that you can use for mouse-free edit-
ing and playback. Now you can increase your productivity and still have a free hand for
your coffee mug.

This topic is intended to show you how the VEGAS Pro interface interacts with several mul-
timedia controllers that we're familiar with and have tested. Other controllers may also
work.

For specific information about your multimedia controller, please refer to the man-
ufacturer's documentation.

Contour ShuttlePro default settings

Default setup

ShuttlePro .pref files are included with your VEGAS Pro installation. You can use these files
to configure the Contour ShuttlePro or ShuttlePro v2 for use with VEGAS Pro.

TIP If you have version 2.5 or later of the Shuttle Pro driver, you can use the driver's
Export Settings Info feature to create a graphical representation of your current set-
tings.

Contour ShuttleXpress default settings

ShuttleXpress .pref files are included with your VEGAS Pro installation. You can use these
files to configure the Contour ShuttleXpress for use with VEGAS Pro.

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TIP If you have version 2.5 or later of the ShuttleXpress driver, you can use the driver's
Export Settings Info feature to create a graphical representation of your current set-
tings.

Navigating the timeline with a ShuttlePro or Shuttle Xpress

Use shuttle ring and jog dial to navigate the timeline. If you're using a ShuttlePro, you can
also use the buttons in the top and bottom rows to navigate.

You can set the speed of the shuttle ring using the JKL / SHUTTLE SPEED drop-down list
on the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog.

Navigating the timeline with a PowerMate or other controller

If you have a multimedia controller such as the Griffin Technology PowerMate, you can
map your controller to the F3/F9 jog/edit keys.

Map the single-button function to the Enter key for Play/Pause functionality. When paused,
the knob will jog by frame.

When you use the [ or ] keys to enter event edge-trimming mode, the knob will trim the
event:
● Turn the knob left or right to trim the selected event edge.

● Hold Alt while turning the knob to perform a slip trim.

● Hold Ctrl while turning the knob to change the event's playback rate.

● Hold Ctrl+Alt while turning the knob to perform an adjacent trim.

During playback, the knob will function as a variable-speed shuttle control. You can set the
speed of the shuttle control using the JKL / SHUTTLE SPEED drop-down list on the Editing
tab of the Preferences dialog.

Editing events with a ShuttlePro or ShuttleXpress

You can use the second row of buttons and the jog dial to make the keyboard-based event
edge-trimming method even better.

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1. If you want downstream events to ripple as you trim, click the AUTO RIPPLE but-

ton to turn on Auto Ripple mode. For more information, see Post-edit
ripple (p. 307)

2. Press the DESELECT ALL button on the ShuttlePro to deselect all events.

3. Select a track and position the edit cursor over the event you want to edit.

4. Press the SELECT EVENT START or SELECT EVENT END buttons and move to the
edge you'd like to edit. A red bracket is displayed in the timeline to indicate which
event edge will be trimmed.

5. Edit to your heart's content:

● Turn the jog dial left or right to trim the selected event edge.

● Hold Alt while turning the jog dial to perform a slip trim.

● Hold Ctrl while turning the jog dial to change the event's playback rate.

● Hold Ctrl+Alt while turning the jog dial to perform an adjacent trim.

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Video Design and Optimization

Applying effects
You can use effects to manipulate the audio and video components of your project.

The included audio plug-ins can improve the quality of the audio in your project or create
unique sounds. VEGAS® Pro supports additional DirectX and VST effects from a variety of
vendors. Audio effects can be applied to all events on a track, to busses, or as assignable
effects or to individual events.

The included video plug-ins are comprised of effects, transitions, and text/background
generators. Effects can be used to improve video quality or manipulate an image, trans-
itions can change the way video events flow into one another, and generators can create
text and colored backgrounds.

TIP
● To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins and plug-in packages from the
Plug-In Manager window to a track header. For more information, see Creating
and using effects packages and FX chains (p. 541) and The Plug-In Manager
Window (p. 37)
● Use the VST Effects tab in the Preferences dialog to indicate where the applic-
ation should search for VST plug-ins and to select which plug-ins you want to
use.

For more information, see VST Effects Tab (p. 1152)

MORE INFORMATION
Audio effects

● Adding effects to an audio track

● Adding effects to an audio event

● Adding effects to the master bus

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● Adding effects to a bus

● Applying non-real-time event effects

● Using an assignable effects chain

● Automating audio effect parameters with envelopes

● Bypassing all audio effects

● Editing audio effects

Video effects

● Adding video effects to a video event, track, or media file

● Adding a transition between video events

● Adding generated media to your project

● Learning about compositing and masks

● Using keyframes to animate your effects

● Adding text with the Titles & Text plug-in

● Creating text and titles

● Panning and cropping video events

● Using video track motion

Audio and video effects

● Creating or applying an effects package

● Recording automation settings for track envelopes and keyframes

Video Effects

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Adding video effects

There are several methods available for adding effects to video. Video plug-ins can be
added to tracks, video events, source media files (via the Project Media window), or to the
entire video project.

TIP
● To apply a preset without displaying the Video FX dialog, hold the Shift key
while dragging a preset from the Video FX window to a track header, event, or
the Video Preview window. For more information, see The Video FX Window (p.
31)
● To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins from the Plug-In Manager win-

dow to events, tracks, and the Video FX or Video Preview windows. For
more information, see The Plug-In Manager Window (p. 37)
● To move faders and sliders in fine increments, hold Ctrl while dragging the con-
trol.
● Double-click the title bar of the Video FX window to resize it for the current
plug-in.

Bypassing all video effects

You can use the SPLIT-SCREEN VIEW button in the Video Preview window to create a
split-screen preview that bypasses all video effects (track effects, event effects, media
effects, and video output effects) without removing them from your project.

For more information, see Split-screen previews (p. 196)

Adding video event effects

Video event effects are applied to individual events.

1. Click the EVENT FX button on the event in the timeline .

If there are no effects added to the event, the Plug-In Chooser window appears.

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If there are effects added to the event, the Video Event FX window appears in the

window docking area. Click the PLUG-IN CHAIN button to open the Plug-In
Chooser.

2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.

3. Click OK to close the Plug-In Chooser.

The Video Event FX window appears.

4. Use the settings in the Video Event FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit
effect parameters, and add/remove effects from a chain.

TIP
● To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, drag a plug-in button to a new
location.

● You can also drag an effect from the Video FX window to the event on

the timeline. For more information, see The Video FX Window (p. 31)
● You can also double-click a preset in the Video FX window to apply the
effect preset to the selected event.

Adding video track effects

Video track effects are applied to every event on the track.

1. Click the TRACK FX button in the track header. For more information, see
Video track controls (p. 399)
If there are no effects added to the track, the Plug-In Chooser window appears.
If there are effects added to the track, the Video Track FX window appears. Click

the PLUG-IN CHAIN button to open the Plug-In Chooser.

2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.

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3. Click OK to close the Plug-In Chooser.

The Video Track FX window appears.

4. Use the settings in the Video Track FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit
effect parameters, and add/remove effects from a chain.

TIP
● To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, drag a plug-in button to a new
location.

● You can also drag an effect from the Video FX window to the track

header in the track list. For more information, see The Video FX Win-
dow (p. 31)
● You can also double-click a preset in the Video FX window to apply the
effect preset to the selected track (when no events are selected).

Adding video media effects

Video media effects are applied to every occurrence of the media file in your project. The
source media file is not affected.

1. In the Project Media window, select a file and click the MEDIA FX button .
For more information, see Using the Project Media window (p. 121)
If there are no effects applied to the file, the Plug-In Chooser window appears.
If there are effects applied to the file, the Media FX window appears. Click the

PLUG-IN CHAIN button to open the Plug-In Chooser.

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TIP You can access the Media FX also via the MORE button of a video
event, where you also can add a button for it in the event header. The Media
FX button in the header also functions as an indicator, whether a Media FX is

applied ( ) or not ( ).

2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.

3. Click OK to close the Plug-In Chooser.

The Media FX window appears.

4. Use the settings in the Media FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit effect
parameters, and add/remove effects from a chain.

TIP
To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, drag a plug-in button to a new loc-
ation.

You can click the SAVE AS button in the Plug-In Chooser to create a filter pack-
age. A filter package allows you to quickly recall frequently used chains of
effects. FX packages retain their chain order and individual plug-in settings.

Adding video output effects

Video output effects are applied to every video event in your project.

1. Click the VIDEO OUTPUT FX button in the Video Preview window. For
more information, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185)
If there are no effects applied to the project, the Plug-In Chooser window
appears.
If there are effects applied to the project, the Video Output FX window appears.

Click the PLUG-IN CHAIN button to open the Plug-In Chooser.

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2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.

3. Click OK to close the Plug-In Chooser.

The Video Output FX window appears.

4. Use the settings in the Video Output FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit
effect parameters, and add/remove effects from a chain.

TIP
● To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, drag a plug-in button to a new
location.

● You can also drag an effect from the Video FX window to the Video Pre-

view window. For more information, see The Video FX Window (p.
31)

Editing existing video effects

1. Perform one of the following actions to display the editing window for the type of
effect you want to modify:

●
Event effects: Click the EVENT FX button on the event in the timeline.

●
Track effects: Click the TRACK FX button in the track header.
● Media effects: In the Project Media window, select a file and click the MEDIA

FX button .

●
Video output effects: Click the VIDEO OUTPUT FX button in the Video
Preview window.

2. Select an effect button at the top of the window.

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TIP Clear the checkbox to bypass an effect without removing it from the
chain.When you're working with a stereoscopic 3D project, a separate check-

box is displayed for the left- and right-eye video: . By lim-

iting an effect to the left or right eye only, you can use multiple instances of a

plug-in with different settings for each eye. For more information, see Ste-
reoscopic 3D editing (p. 444)

3. Use the controls in the bottom half of the dialog to adjust the effect's settings.

TIP Click the REMOVE SELECTED PLUG-IN button to remove the current plug-in
from the chain.

Applying video event effects before or after event panning or crop-

ping

To prevent unwanted blurring, you can choose whether effects are applied to the event
before or after any event panning and cropping by dragging the PAN/CROP button in the

plug-in chain at the top of the Video Event FX window. For more information, see Pan-
ning and cropping video events (p. 247)

Here, the Deform plug-in is applied before the pan/crop and the Glow and Color Curves
plug-ins are applied after the pan/crop.

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Applying video track effects before or after track compositing

When you add effects to a video track, you can specify whether the effects are applied

before or after compositing. For more information, see Compositing and masks (p.
794)

You can choose whether an effect is applied pre- or post-compositing by dragging the
COMPOSITE button in the plug-in chain at the top of the Video FX window.

Animating a video effect

If you want to create an animated effect, use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the
Video Event FX dialog to establish distinct settings throughout the duration of the effect.

During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.

Automating video output effect parameters with the bus track

You can think of VEGAS Pro as having a single video bus: when you have multiple tracks,
they are all composited to a single video output.

When you choose VIDEO BUS TRACK from the View menu, a bus track is displayed for the
video output. You can add keyframes to adjust effect parameters over time.

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MORE INFORMATION
Keyframe animation (p. 756)

Compositing video (p. 793)

Keyframe animation (p. 756)

Video bus track (p. 410)

Using LUT’s to enhance video

LUT stands for Look Up Table, and is often referred to as a Color Look Up Table. LUTs are
commonly used to add a specific color look to your video. Think of them as a universal
color preset. LUTs are applied as an OFX plug-in and can be added, like other video
effects, to tracks, video events, source media files (via the Project Media window), or to
the entire video project using any of the methods described in this chapter. The one dif-
ference is that you will have to browse to the LUT, to select it, from the plugin window.

1. Open the Video effects window and expand the OFX folder

2. Drag the effect LUT Filter to the desired location (Media, Event, Track, Main out-
put)

3. In the Video FX window, click the BROWSE button

4. Navigate to where you saved the LUT file, select the file, and click OPEN

5. Pick an Interpolation; LINEAR (GOOD) or TETRAHEDRAL (BEST)

6. Adjust the STRENGTH slider to achieve the look you prefer

NOTE
● Linear (good) intepolation is fast and reasonably accurate where as Tetra-
hedral is more accurate, but slightly slower.
● The LUT filter produces an image that is a blend of the original image and the

color-adjusted image. The Strength slider controls the mix, or the percentage
of the color-adjusted image vs. the original image. A setting of 0 would be
equal to no LUT being applied.

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LUT Export

The LUT Export feature enables you to package any video effect chain into a .cube file
(LUT file) that can then be imported and used in other effects chains within VEGAS Pro or
any other software that imports and reads CUBE files.

To export an effect chain as a LUT, create a chain of effects at any of the four effects
levels in VEGAS (Event, Track, Master Bus, Media). Once such a chain exists (using an
event chain as an example), you have to:

1. Click the EVENT FX BUTTON in the event header to open the Video Event FX
window (if it is not already open)

2. Deselect the check-box for any non-color-related plug-in to temporarily remove it

from the chain (see note below)

3. Click the Plug-in Chain button to open the Plug-in Chain window

4. Click the Event SAVE LUT button

5. Choose a location and specify a file name for the LUT and save it.

NOTE Keep in mind that a proper LUT can contain only plug-ins and filters that adjust
things related to color such as hue, saturation, levels, and so on. A LUT cannot properly
reproduce filters or effects that distort the image in some way, such as masking, blurs,
shading, pixelation, compositing, and so on. You have to be highly aware of the plug-ins
you allow to pass through the LUT export process. If you allow any non-supported
plug-ins, the resulting LUT will be unpredictable, and very unlikely to represent what
you think it will.

Transitions
Transitions are a fundamental aspect of video editing that help blend scenes seamlessly,
convey a change in time or location, or add stylistic effects to your projects. VEGAS Pro
offers a wide range of transition effects that can elevate your video projects.

● Blending scenes seamlessly to enhance storytelling.

● Indicating a change in time or location within the narrative.

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● Adding visual interest and stylistic effects to videos.

Adding transitions

» Choose VIEW | WINDOW | TRANSITIONS to display or hide the Transitions window.

Use this window to choose and preview transition effects that you can use to control how a
video event begins or ends, or to change the way one event flows into another.

At the top of the window you can see the available video effects organized into categories.
In addition to categories such as FADES, WIPES or 3D EFFECTS, there are three special
categories:
● ALL PLUG-INS: All available plug-ins are listed here.

● THIRD PARTY: Additionally installed third-party plug-ins are displayed here. If you
select this category, an additional FILTER drop-down menu will appear in the
upper right corner, where you can filter the third-party plug-ins by provider.
● FAVORITES: All plug-ins that you have marked as favorites are listed here. You
mark a plug-in as a favorite by clicking on the little star in front of the plug-in

name .

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The left pane lists each of the available transitions of the selected category. The thumbnail
images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for the selected effect.
Hover your cursor over a preset to see an animated example.

Drag a transition preset to overlapping video events in the timeline to add a transition.

TIP
● You can type in the SEARCH PLUG-INS box to find plug-ins. For example, if
you wanted to find a specific color-correction plug-in, you could type "color" in
the box to display only plug-ins that include the term "color" in the plug-in
name, description, or group name.
● To apply a preset without displaying the VIDEO EVENT FX dialog, hold the
Shift key while dragging a preset from the Transitions window to the timeline.
● To move faders and sliders in fine increments, hold Ctrl while dragging the con-
trol.
● Select EVENT FADE LENGTHS from the View menu to display fade lengths
between selected and non-selected events in the timeline. You can use this
display as a quick indicator of a transition's length.
● Double-click the title bar of the Video FX window to resize it for the current
plug-in.

Adding transitions to events

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | TRANSITIONS to display the Transitions window.

2. Select a transition from the list on the left side of the window. The thumbnail
images on the right side of the window represent each of the existing presets for
the selected transition. Point to a preset to see an animated example.

3. After you've found the preset you want to use, drag it to the position where you
want it to occur on the timeline.
You can drop the transition at either end of an event, between two overlapping
events, or between two adjacent events.

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The Video Event FX window is displayed to allow you to edit the transitions set-

tings, and a TRANSITION PROPERTIES button is displayed in the timeline to

show you where the transition takes place. You can also click this icon to edit the
transition's settings.

Adding a transition to all selected events

If you tend to use the same transitions often, you can save yourself some time by adding a
transition to all selected events.

1. Select the events where you want to add the transition.

2. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | TRANSITIONS to display the Transitions window.

3. Select a transition from the list on the left side of the window. The thumbnail
images on the right side of the window represent each of the existing presets for
the selected transition. Point to a preset to see an animated example.

4. After you've found the preset you want to use, drag it to one of the selected
events.
The new transition replaces all existing transitions in the selected events.
The Video Event FX window is displayed to allow you to edit the transitions set-

tings, and a TRANSITION PROPERTIES button is displayed in the timeline to

show you where the transition takes place. You can also click this icon to edit the
transition's settings.

Dropping on existing cuts, crossfades, or transitions

● If you drop the preset on an existing transition, only transitions within the selec-
tion will be changed. Cuts and crossfades are preserved.
● If you drop the preset on an existing crossfade, only crossfades and transitions
within the selection will be changed. Cuts are preserved.
● If you drop the preset on an existing cut, all cuts, crossfades, and transitions
within the selection will be changed.

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Dropping on event edges

● If you drop the preset on a transition that is at the beginning or end of an event
(but does not span two events), only single-event transitions that occur on the
same end of the event within the selection will be changed.
● If you drop the preset on an event fade-in or -out, event fade-ins/outs and single-
event transitions that occur on the same end of the event within the selection will
be changed.
● If you drop the preset on an event edge with no fade, all other event edges, event
fade-ins/outs, and single-event transitions that occur on the same end of the
event within the selection will be changed.

NOTE To change the length of the transition for cuts that are converted to transitions,
use the CUT-TO-OVERLAP CONVERSION settings on the Editing tab of the Preferences

dialog. For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

Changing the speed/duration of a transition

After you've added a transition to an event, you can easily adjust its duration, which will
change the speed at which the transition occurs.

Adjusting a transition at the beginning or end of an event

1. Hover over the edge of the transition until the fade cursor is displayed.

2. Drag the edge of the transition to set its new length:

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Adjusting a transition between two events

Drag either of the events to change the amount of overlap between them. The transition
length is updated to match the overlapping area:

Right-click a track header and choose EXPAND TRACK LAYERS from the shortcut menu to
reveal the A roll, B roll, and transition roll. In this view, sequential clips alternate between
the A and B rolls, and the overlapping area between events is represented by the transition
roll.

Editing a transition

Click the TRANSITION PROPERTIES button on a transition to change the transition's set-
tings.

Changing to a different transition

1. Click the TRANSITION PROPERTIES button on an event to display the Video

Event FX window.

2. Drag a different transition from the Transitions window to the Video Event FX win-
dow.

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Adding a transition progress envelope

Normally, a transition progresses from 0 to 100% in a linear fashion over the length of the
transition. A transition progress envelope gives you complete control over a transition: you
can hold, reverse, and repeat individual transitions.

1. Right-click a transition.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE, and then choose
TRANSITION PROGRESS from the submenu. An envelope is added to your trans-
ition.

3. Add points and adjust the fade curves as desired. For more information, see
Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)
In the following example, the transition starts, progresses to 50%, reverses dir-
ection, and then finishes.

Transition Progress with animation

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The Transition Progress envelope enables the user to control the rate of a transition over
time and animate the progress so that it goes fast, slower, or even in reverse. This gives
the user power to create custom transition behavior and includes Bèzier curve tools for
complete control over the rate of change between animation points along the curve.

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1. Add two video clips to the same track in your timeline and overlap them to create
a crossfade.

2. Make the overlap at least a second long so that you can see the results more
clearly.

3. In the Window Docking area, click the TRANSITIONS tab.

4. Drag a transition onto the crossfade area. Something simple like a Clock Wipe or
Linear Wipe works well for experimentation.

5. In the timeline, click the transition’s TRANSITION PROPERTIES button.

6. In the VIDEO EVENT FX window, click the TRANSITION PROGRESS button. This
opens the keyframe timeline for the transition.

7. Click the CURVES button to enter curve editing mode.

8. Double-click the envelope line to add a point.

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9. Drag the point to a new position around .60, or use the TRANSITION PROGRESS
slider to adjust the point.

10. Add another point to the envelope line. Set this point to a value of 0.00.

11. To set the curve type for the curve after a point, right-click the point and choose
the curve shape you want. If you select one of the Bèzier curve types, adjust the
curve handles until you achieve the shape you want.

12. When you’re done, click in your timeline to place the cursor before your transition
and play your project.
You’ll see the transition start, speed up, reverse, and finally finish. You can add as
many points to the envelope as you want to.

Removing a transition

1. Click the TRANSITION PROPERTIES button on an event to display the Video

Event FX window.

2. Click the REMOVE SELECTED PLUG-IN button to remove the current trans-
ition.

Converting a cut to a transition

When you have two video events that are inserted back-to-back with no transition
(referred to as a cut), you can convert the cut to a transition by dragging a transition from
the Transitions window and dropping it between the events.

You can also right-click between the two events, choose TRANSITION from the shortcut
menu, and choose a crossfade or transition type from the submenu.

One or both of the events will be extended so they overlap, allowing room for the trans-
ition. Use the ALIGNMENT drop-down list under the CUT-TO-OVERLAP CONVERSION
heading on the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog to determine where the transition is

placed. For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

NOTE There must be sufficient media on each side of the cut to accommodate the over-
lap time specified on the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog.

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Converting a crossfade or transition to a cut

1. Click to position the cursor within the transition.

2. Hold Ctrl while pressing the / key on your numeric keypad.

The transition is converted to a cut, using the CUT-TO-OVERLAP CONVERSION
settings on the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog to determine where the cut

occurs. For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

Adding generated media to your project

Media generators can be used to create backgrounds, text, and textures in your project.

TIP Double-click the title bar of the Video Media Generators window to resize it for the
current plug-in.

Adding a generated media event

1. Position the cursor where you want to create the event.

2. Select the media generator you want to use:

● Select a generator in the left pane of the Media Generators window. The
thumbnail images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for
the selected generator. Hover your mouse pointer over a preset to see an
animated example, and drag the preset you want to use to the timeline.

For more information, see The Media Generators Window (p. 33)
● From the Insert menu, choose GENERATEDMEDIA. The Plug-In Chooser is
displayed. Select the plug-in you want to use and click OK.

3. TIP You can double-click a preset to add it to the selected track.

The Video Media Generators dialog is displayed.

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4. In the Video Media Generators dialog, type values in the FRAME SIZE and
LENGTH boxes to specify the size and duration of the generated media.

5. Use the controls in the Video Media Generators dialog to adjust the plug-in's set-
tings.

For more information, see The Media Generators Window (p. 33)

TIP To create a generated media event quickly, drag a preset thumbnail from the Media
Generators window to the timeline. A new event is created where you drop the thumb-
nail using the preset's parameters.

Editing a generated media event

1. Click the GENERATED MEDIA button on an event. The Video Media Generators
dialog is displayed.

2. Use the controls in the Video Media Generators dialog to adjust the plug-in's set-
tings.

●
Click the MATCH EVENT LENGTH button to set the length of the gen-
erated media to match the length of the event.

●
Click the MEDIA PROPERTIES button to edit information about the gen-
erated media, such as the frame size, frame rate, field order, pixel aspect,
and rotation.

For more information, see Viewing or changing media file properties (p.
162)

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●
Click the REPLACE PLUG-IN button to change the media generator for
the current event.
● Use the lower portion of the Video Media Generators dialog to choose a new
preset or adjust the plug-in's settings.

Copying a generated media event

You can duplicate generated media events using copy and paste commands, by holding
Ctrl while dragging an event to a new position on the timeline, or by dragging generated
media from the Project Media window to the timeline.

When you duplicate a generated media event, a dialog is displayed with two options:
● Create a new copy of the source media:

The new event is created using the same settings as the original event. Each
event can be edited independently.
● Create a reference to the original media:

The new event uses the same source media as the original generated media
event. Any change to either event affects both events.

Removing generated media

To remove generated media from your project, select the event and press Delete.

Animating a generated media event with keyframes

If you want to create an animated effect, use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the
Video Media Generators dialog to establish distinct settings throughout the duration of the
effect.

During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.

For more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

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Creating text and titles

Most video projects include titles and credits. There are several ways to add text to your
project: you can use the included plug-ins for static text and scrolling credits, or you can
use an external image-editing program to create images with text on them.

Adding text with the Titles & Text plug-in

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | MEDIA GENERATORS to display the Media Generators

window.

2. In the left pane, select the Titles & Text plug-in. The available presets are dis-
played in the right pane.

3. Drag a preset to a position on the timeline to create a generated media event.

TIP If you want text to appear as an overlay, add it to a track above the video

you want to overlay and use a transparent background. For more inform-
ation, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

4. Use the Titles & Text plug-in controls to edit the appearance of your text. For
more information, see Using the Titles & Text Plug-In (p. 537)

Transfer Text Properties

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

In the TITLES & TEXT MEDIA GENERATOR, you can easily transfer text properties from
one event to another. It simplifies the process of achieving consistent text attributes
across multiple text events within the same track.

EXAMPLE If you have dozens of lower third text events in your project and decide to
use a different color, font, size, and/or other characteristic for all of them, you only
need to change the characteristics for one of the events and then can instantly apply
the change or changes to all of the rest of them.

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1. Click the MEDIA GENERATORS tab to bring that window to the front.

2. Select TITLES & TEXT from the list of generators.

3. Add several text events to the same track in your timeline.

4. Type something different as the text in each one (even if just Text Event 1, Text
Event 2, and so on).

5. Customize the properties of each text event.

For example, you can use different colors, fonts, sizes, bold or italic styles, etc.

Transferring text properties:

6. If the "Video Media Generator" window is not open for any of the events, select
one of the events on the track.

7. Click the "Generated Media" button for that event to open the "Video Media Gen-
erator" window.

8. In this window, you will find the "Transferring Text Properties" function.

9. By clicking this function, all the other "Titles & Text" events on the same track will
be instantly updated to match the properties of the control event.

Verifying the changes:

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Click on the other events in the track and observe that the text size, font, animation, and
other attributes have been updated to match the control event.

NOTE This action does not change the text content of the events.

Reverting the changes

If you’re not happy with the change you made, click the Undo button and all events revert
to their original characteristics.

Adding text and titles with the ProType Titler

NOTE The Pro-Type Titler is deprecated and hidden by default.

With the ProType Titler, you can create static text, animated text effects with splined
paths, per-character animation, and advanced curves. Add shadows, glows, blurs, and
gradients for unique text treatments.

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | MEDIA GENERATORS to display the Media Generators

window.

2. In the left pane, select the ProType Titler plug-in. The available presets are dis-
played in the right pane.

3. Drag a preset to a position on the timeline to create a generated media event.

TIP If you want text to appear as an overlay, add it to a track above the video

you want to overlay and use a transparent background. For more inform-
ation, see see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

4. Use the Pro Type Titler plug-in controls to edit the appearance of your text.
You can use animation in the ProType Titler to create scrolling and crawling cred-
its.

For more information, see Using the ProType Titler.

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Creating a title from a graphic

Title images can be created in almost any editing program. The following general pro-
cedure explains how to create titles with a transparent background.

TIP You can use track motion to animate titles created from still images. For more
information, see Editing track motion (p. 416)

1. Start your image-editing application.

2. Create a new image and set the dimensions of the new image to be the same as
the frame size for the project.

3. Make the default canvas (background) transparent.

4. Select the Text tool and type the text for your title.

NOTE Size and position your titles carefully to fit within the Title Safe Area, or

the titles may extend beyond the edges of your television. For more inform-
ation, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185)

5. Save the file as a PNG, PSD, or TGA file (PNG is recommended). Make sure that
you save the alpha channel information, which will be used for transparency.

6. Add the image as an event to the track above the track containing the back-
ground.

7. Click the COMPOSITING MODE button to set the title track to SOURCE ALPHA
(default).

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NOTE
● If your title is saved as a TGA image, the alpha channel may not be detec-
ted automatically. Use the Media Properties dialog and choose a new set-

ting from the ALPHA CHANNEL drop-down list. For more information,
see Viewing or changing media file properties (p. 162)
● If your image does not have an alpha channel, you can apply the Chroma
Keyer filter to the image to key out the background.

Using the Titles & Text Plug-In

When you add the Titles & Text plug-in to your project, the Video Media Generators dialog
is displayed.Use the controls in the Video Media Generators dialog to control the appear-
ance of your text.

TIP
You can use keyframe animation to animate any of the plug-in's controls using key-

frames.Click a control's ANIMATE button to create keyframes at the bottom of the

Video Media Generators window.

For more information, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

Item Description

Type your text in the text box.

The controls above the text box allow you to set the typeface, font
size, bold or italic properties, and justification for the selected text.
Text

TIP Right-click the text box to display a shortcut menu with CUT,
COPY, PASTE, DELETE, and SELECT ALL commands.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the text color controls.

Text Color
You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use
the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to apply animation effects

Animation
to your text.

Drag the slider to adjust the size of your text.

A setting of 1 applies no scaling; drag to the right to enlarge the

text, or drag left to shrink the text.

When your text event is selected in the timeline, you can drag the
corners of the text box in the Video Preview window to scale it:

Scale

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the text location controls.

Perform any of the following actions to position the text within your
project's video frame:

●
Drag the point in the position box:
● Type coordinates in the position box.

0.00, 0.00 represents the lower-

left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50 represents the center,
and 1.00, 1.00 represents the upper-right corner.
● When your text event is selected in the timeline, you can
drag the text box in the Video Preview window to position
it:
Location

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the anchor point of
the text box.Text scales relative to the anchor point, which does
Anchor point
not move.The anchor point is identified by an empty square in the
Video Preview window.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the advanced controls for back-
Advanced
ground color, tracking, and line spacing.

Click the arrow to show or hide the background color controls.

Background
You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use
the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Drag the slider to adjust the amount of spacing between text char-
Tracking
acters.

Drag the slider to adjust the amount of spacing between lines of

Line Spacing
text.

Outline Click the arrow to show or hide the controls for outlining text.

Outline Width Drag the slider to specify the width of the outline.

Click the arrow to show or hide the outline color controls.

Outline Color
You can use the color picker, type color values, or use the eye-
dropper to sample a color from your screen.

Click the arrow to show or hide the controls for adding a shadow
Shadow
behind your text.

Shadow
Select the checkbox to display a shadow behind your text.
Enable

Click the arrow to show or hide the shadow color controls.

Shadow
Color You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use
the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Shadow Off- Drag the slider if you want to offset the shadow from the horizontal
set X center of your text.

Shadow Off- Drag the slider if you want to offset the shadow from the vertical
set Y center of your text.

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Item Description

Drag the slider to determine how smoothly the text shadow blends
Shadow Blur
into the background.

Creating and using effects packages and FX chains

Creating and using effect packages and effect chains in VEGAS Pro allows you to stream-
line your video editing process and enhance creativity. An effects package allows you to
quickly recall frequently used chains of effects, retaining their chain order and individual
plug-in settings. Effect chains are sequences of effects applied in a specific order to
achieve desired visual results. You can save and reuse your favorite editing styles by cre-
ating custom effect chains, empowering you to efficiently apply your preferred com-
binations to different media within your projects.

Creating a FX chain

1. Click the PLUG-IN CHAIN button on the Track FX, Bus FX, or Assignable FX dia-
log to display the Plug-In Chooser window.

2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.
The plug-ins appear at the top of the window in the order in which you added
them.

TIP To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, simply drag a plug-in button to a
new location.

3. Click the OK button.

The Track FX window appears.

4. Use the settings in the Track FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit effect para-
meters, and add/remove effects from a chain.

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Editing a FX chain

1. Click the TRACK FX button in the track header.

The Track FX window appears.

2. Select an effect button at the top of the window.

TIP Clear the checkbox to bypass an effect without removing it from the chain.

3. Use the controls in the bottom half of the window to adjust the effect's settings.

Adding or replacing plug-ins in an FX chain

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

Add or replace plug-ins in an existing FX chain to enhance your audio or video effects. You
have the flexibility to either add a new effect to the existing chain or replace the entire
chain with a new plug-in or filter package.

1. Open the PLUG-IN CHOOSER.

If you have a chain of effects on a video event, click the event's Event FX button.

2. In the Video Event dialog, click the Plug-in Chain button.

In the Plug-In Chooser, you will see your current FX chain displayed at the top.

3. Select a new plug-in or filter package from the list. Ensure that you have created
the desired item beforehand.

4. Add or replace the existing FX Chain.

● To add the selected item to the end of your current FX chain, click the ADD
button.
● If you want to replace the entire chain with the selected item, click the
REPLACE button.

5. Click OK to confirm the changes.

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Saving an FX chain as a preset

1. Click the PLUG-IN CHAIN button on the Track FX, Bus FX, or Assignable FX dia-
log to display the Plug-In Chooser window.

2. Use the Plug-In Chooser to add, remove, or arrange plug-ins.

3. Click the SAVE AS button.

4. Enter a name on the Save Plug-In Package dialog and click OK.

Using an FX chain preset

1. Click the PLUG-IN CHAIN button on the Track FX, Bus FX, or Assignable FX dia-
log to display the Plug-In Chooser window.

2. In the Plug-In Chooser, browse to the preset package you want to recall.

3. Click OK to load the effects and settings from the package.

Exploring Video plug-ins

The video plug-ins that are installed on your system will vary depending on the version of
the software that you are using.

360 Effects

Tiny Planet

With the Tiny Planet effect you distort a picture or video into a circular form. The x-coordin-
ate of each pixel is transformed into the angle, the y-coordinate into a radial distance. The
result is a sphere that looks like a little planet photographed from above using a fisheye
lens.

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The results you achieve with this effect strongly depend on the source image or video, so
consider some rules:

● To achieve a seamless sphere the left and right borders should match as perfectly

as possible. The ideal source would be a 360° video or panorama picture but you
can achieve interesting effects on any video or image. With more narrow angles
you might have to do some retouching to match textures and colors at the bor-
ders.
● The upper area of the picture will be heavily distorted, so so try not to have import-

ant material there. A clear blue sky works best.

● The same holds for the bottom, it will be squashed into a tiny area, so make sure

there is a simple texture like a flat color, sand, or water.

● A straight horizon enables the picture edges to meet perfectly.

● Good source images are therefore: mountains, beaches, city skylines, city squares

IMPORTANT Panorama pictures usually are much wider than high. If you load them into
a project with the usual 16:9 aspect ratio, black bars are added at the top and bottom of
the picture which are included in the effect, resulting in a black hole in the middle of the
planet and a perfectly circular black space around it. If you don't want this, right click
the event and choose PROPERTIES. Deactivate MAINTAIN ASPECT RATIO to force the
picture into the project aspect ratio, avoiding the black bars.

Original panorama photo

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Tiny Planet from the photo

Item Description

This value defines the position of the floor in the picture. Exper-
iment with it. For pictures with non-matching borders, if you
change it you get a different perspective on the planet, not straight
LATITUDE
from above any more. In combination with the Z value you can
avoid displaying these areas. A value of 180° gives you a "hollow
earth" perspective.

This defines the angle of the left border of the image, in other
LONGITUDE words, which part of the picture should point up. You can also use
this in combination with an envelope to rotate your tiny planet.

Z Zoom value, controls the distance of your planet from the viewer.

Blur Effects

Defocus

Item Description

Controls the amount of defocusing. Higher values result in more defo-

Radius
cusing.

Iris shape Determines the shape of the blooms when the image is defocused.

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Item Description

Spins the iris shape through a 360-degree cycle. Higher values result
snapping
in clockwise rotation.

Disc Adjusts the shape and intensity of the interior section of the blooms.
curvature Higher values result in more intense centers.

Bloom Controls the level at which blooms occur on light sources. Higher val-
threshold ues result in fewer light sources blooming.

Bloom Controls the intensity of the blooms. Higher values result in more
strength intense blooms.

Reduce Toggles prefiltering of the source material to reduce unwanted flick-

flicker ering in the output.

Gaussian Blur

This alters the apparent focus of the video, blurring and softening the appearance. It can
also be used to smooth out some types of noise and can also be used as a corrective filter.

Original Gaussian Blur

Item Description

HORIZONTAL
RANGE Drag the sliders or type values in the edit boxes to determine how
VERTICAL many pixels in a block are blended together.
RANGE

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the channel controls.

Select the specific color channels red, green, blue, or alpha that
CHANNELS you want to blur.

If the video or image has an alpha channel, basing the blur on that
channel can sometimes improve transparency and mask blending.

Linear Blur

Use the Linear Blur effect to blur your video along a specified angle.

Original 45-degree blur

Item Description

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the edit box) to set the angle of the
ANGLE
blur.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the edit box) to set the amount of blur-
RATIO ring that will be applied. A setting of 0 produces no blur, and 1 is the max-
imum blur.

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Quick Blur

Use the Quick Blur filter to reduce the sharpness of the video. This filter is a fast con-
volution blur, therefore, the effect is subtle. If you want to apply a more substantial blur use
the Gaussian Blur filter.

Original Quick Blur

Radial Blur

Use the Light Rays effect to simulate rays from a light source shining on an image.

Original Strong Proportional Blur

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the center controls.

Perform one of the following actions to set the center of the blur effect:

●
Drag the point in the position box:
CENTER
● Type coordinates in the position box. 0.00, 0.00 represents the
lower-left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50 represents the cen-
ter, and 1.00, 1.00 represents the upper-right corner.

Select a radio button to set type of blur:

● A proportional blur increases proportionally from the origin of
the blur outward.
TYPE
● A fixed-radius blur applies the same blur throughout the
image.
● A Gaussian blur applies a smooth Gaussian blur.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the edit box) to set the amount of
LEVEL blurring that will be applied. A setting of 0 produces no blur, and 1 is
the maximum blur.

Sharpen

Sharpen finds and emphasizes areas of contrast in the image, increasing the video's crisp-
ness. This filter applies the opposite effect of the Blur and Median filters.

Original Sharpen Effect

Unsharp Mask

Unlike the name suggests, you can use this effect to sharpen the image.

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Original Hard

Item Description

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to specify the amount by
RATIO
which you want to adjust the sharpness of edges in your image.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to specify how many
RADIUS pixels surrounding the sharpened edge are affected during
sharpening.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to specify how the filter
THRESHOLD
determines edges: a setting of 0 will sharpen all pixels.

Color Effects

Black and white

This filter removes all color information from an image without altering the luminosity. This
converts a video to gray scale or black and white. This can be an important filter when
used in combination with other filters. For example, removing the color makes creating a
grayscale mask a more predictable process.

Drag the BLEND AMOUNT slider to the right to desaturate the color in your video.

Original Black and White

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Brightness and Contrast

Use the Brightness and Contrast filter to improve video that has exposure problems.

Original Brightness and Contrast

Item Description

Adjusting brightness adds or subtracts values from the color chan-

nels in an image to make the image lighter or darker:
● Drag the slider to the right to increase brightness. The
BRIGHTNESS
maximum brightness setting adds 255 (pure white).
● Drag the slider to the left to decrease brightness. The min-
imum setting adds 0 (pure black).

Contrast is defined as the absolute difference between the

darkest and lightest areas of an image or video. Adjusting con-
trast multiplies color values in an image to distribute the existing
color channel values across a broader or narrower portion of the
spectrum:
CONTRAST
● Drag the slider to the right to increase the difference
between the darkest and lightest areas.
● Drag the slider to the left to decrease the difference
between the darkest and lightest areas.

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Item Description

Drag the slider to determine the anchor point for distributing color
values.

Histogram of original image

CONTRAST
CENTER

Contrast decreased with a contrast center of 0.5: the histogram is

squeezed into a narrower portion of the spectrum anchored from
the center of the graph.

Contrast decreased with a contrast center of 0.0: the histogram is

squeezed into a narrower portion of the spectrum anchored at the
left edge of the graph.

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Item Description

Contrast decreased with a contrast center of 1.0: the histogram is

squeezed into a narrower portion of the spectrum anchored at the
right edge of the graph.

Color balance

Use Color Balance to alter the RGB values (Red, Green, Blue) in a video clip. You can also
specify which areas you want the RGB values to affect more intensely (Highlights,
Midtones, or Shadows).

Original RGB values changed

Item Description

Increases or decreases the given color in the video. Use the

RED/GREEN/BLUE
slider or enter a number in the text box to adjust each color
VALUES
value.

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Item Description

Applies the color change more intensely to the brighter areas

HIGHLIGHTS
of the video.

Applies the color change more intensely to the mid range of

MID TONES
color intensities of the video.

Applies the color change more intensely to the darker areas

SHADOW
of the video.

PRESERVE Preserves the overall brightness of the image or video when

LUMINOSITY the RGB color values are changed

Color Correction

The Color Corrector plug-in helps you adjust colors in your video by independently adjust-
ing the color of low, middle, and high color tones.

The point&apos;s angle determines the hue you are adding, and the distance from the cen-
ter determines the magnitude, or saturation of that hue.

1. Position your cursor on the frame you want to adjust in the Vegas timeline.

TIP Working with the Scopes window open will help you monitor your pro-
gress.

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2. Click the arrow to show or hide the color wheel for the color range to be adjus-
ted (Low, Medium, High):
● Drag the point in the center of the color wheel to pick a hue and saturation.

● Enter appropriate values in the format (angle, magnitude) into the edit box
to define a hue and saturation.

● Use the complementary color eyedropper tool and sample a color on your
screen to add the sampled color's complement. For example, if the blacks in
your video contain a blue cast, you use the complementary color eyedropper
from the Low color wheel to sample a black portion of your video. Adding
blue&apos;s complement will rebalance your blacks.
Complementary colors are colors that are 180 degrees apart on the color
wheel. In the following image, you can see that red and cyan are com-
plementary colors, as are magenta and green, and blue and yellow.

● Use the adjustment color eyedropper tool to sample a color on your

screen to choose the color you want to add.

3. Drag the SATURATION slider to adjust the video&apos;s overall saturation.

4. Drag the GAMMA slider to adjust the overall brightness of the video. 1 is the
default setting; higher settings produce a brighter image, and lower settings pro-
duce a darker image.

5. Drag the GAIN slider to add a gain to all luminance values in the video. All lumin-
ance values are multiplied by the GAIN setting.

6. Drag the OFFSET slider to offset all luminance values in the video.

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Color Corrector (Secondary)

The Color Corrector (Secondary) plug-in helps you perform fine color correction by adjust-
ing a single color independently of the other colors in your video.

TIP Stack multiple instances of the plug-in for advanced color control.

To demonstrate how you can use the plug-in, we'll adjust the color of this bumblebee's
stripes:

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Choose the color you want to adjust

The plug-in works by allowing you to adjust a selected color. If you don't select a color, the
plug-in will affect all colors in your video.

1. Position your cursor on the frame you want to adjust in the Vegas timeline.

TIP Working with the Scopes window open will help you monitor your pro-
gress.

2. Click the EFFECTS AREA button to activate the eyedropper .

TIP Drag to create a rectangular selection to select a range of color.

3. Click a portion of the image in the Vegas Video Preview window to sample a color.
The luminance, saturation, and hue controls in the plug-in are updated to reflect
the sampled color.
If you want to see the portion of the image you sampled, select the SHOW MASK
check box. The selected area is displayed in white.
If you want to reverse the portions of the image that will be affected or not
affected by the plug-in, select the INVERT MASK check box.

Original picture
SHOW MASK selected after sampling
the middle yellow stripe

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Limit the luminance values to be adjusted

You can see in the previous example that sampling a color with the eyedropper did not
select the full range of yellow that we want to adjust. Selecting the LIMIT LUMINANCE
checkbox and choosing a luminance range will help extend or restrict the selection.

1. After you select a color with the EFFECT AREA eyedropper , click the arrow to
expand the LIMIT LUMINANCE controls.

2. Select the ENABLE check box.

3. Drag the LOW and HIGH sliders to set the range of luminance values for the selec-
ted color that you want to affect.

4. Drag the SMOOTH slider to adjust how smoothly the filter blends pixels outside
the selected range. Choose 0 to perform no blending, or drag the slider to the
right to blend.

Original mask after sampling color with Mask after setting the LOW slider to 0
eyedropper and the HIGH slider to 255

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Limit the saturation levels to be adjusted

In the previous example, adjusting the luminance range increased the range of yellow that
was selected, but the full range of yellow that we want to adjust is still not selected.

Selecting the LIMIT SATURATION checkbox and choosing a saturation range will help
extend or restrict the selection.

1. After you select a color with the EFFECT AREA eyedropper , click the arrow to
expand the LIMIT SATURATION controls.

2. Select the ENABLE check box.

3. Drag the LOW and HIGH sliders to set the range of saturation levels for the selec-
ted color that you want to affect.

4. Drag the SMOOTH slider to adjust how smoothly the filter blends pixels outside
the selected range. Choose 0 to perform no blending, or drag the slider to the
right to blend.

Mask after sampling yellow and adjust- Mask after setting the LOW slider to
ing luminance 38.7, HIGH slider to 162, and SMOOTH
slider to 12.5

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Limit the hue to be adjusted

Selecting the LIMIT HUE checkbox and choosing a center hue and width can also help
extend or restrict the selection.

1. After you select a color with the EFFECT AREA eyedropper , click the arrow to
expand the LIMIT HUE controls.

2. Select the ENABLE check box.

3. Drag the CENTER and WIDTH sliders to set the range of colors that you want to
affect.

TIP If you want to adjust all colors except the selected color, add 180 degrees
to the CENTER value and set the WIDTH high enough that all colors except the
selected color are within the range. If you set the SATURATION to 0, you can
create a black-and-white scene where only a single color remains.

4. Drag the SMOOTH slider to adjust how smoothly the filter blends pixels outside
the selected range. Choose 0 to perform no blending, or drag the slider to the
right to blend.

Mask after adjusting luminance and sat- Mask after setting the CENTER slider to
uration. CENTER slider is 141 and 269.6 and WIDTH slider to 270.9. Better
WIDTH is 10. selection of stripes and antennae.

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Adjust the selection's color

1. Choose the color you want to add to the selection:

● Drag the point in the center of the color wheel to pick a hue and saturation.

● Enter appropriate values in the format (angle, magnitude) into the edit box
to define a hue and saturation.

● Use the complementary color eyedropper tool and sample a color on your
screen to add the sampled color's complement to the selection.

● Use the adjustment color eyedropper tool and sample a color on your
screen to choose the color you want to add to the selection.

Original picture Image after setting the ANGLE to

258.8 and MAGNITUDE to 0.75

2. Drag the ROTATE HUE slider to change the color of the selection.

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3. D-
r-
a-
g

Original picture Image after setting the ROTATE HUE

t-slider to 260
he SATURATION slider to adjust the selection's overall saturation.

Original picture Image after setting the SATURATION

slider to 0

4. Drag the GAMMA slider to adjust the overall brightness of the video. 1 is the
default setting; higher settings produce a brighter image, and lower settings pro-
duce a darker image.

Original picture Image after setting the GAMMA slider to

0.5

5. Drag the GAIN slider to add a gain to all luminance values in the video. All lumin-
ance values are multiplied by the GAIN setting.

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6. D-
r-
a-
g

Original picture Image after setting the GAIN slider to

t-1.3
he OFFSET slider to offset all luminance values in the video. The OFFSET setting
is added to all luminance values.

Original picture Image after setting the OFFSET slider to

30

7. Drag the ALPHA slider to adjust the transparency of the selection.

Original picture Image after setting the ALPHA slider to

0 (Color bars are on track below bumble-
bee)

Color Curves

Use the Color Curves effect to adjust the red, green, and blue channels using an envelope.

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1. S-
e-
l-
e-
c-
t

Original Brighten Brights

t-
he channel you want to adjust from the CHANNEL drop-down list, or choose RGB
to adjust all channels at the same time. The color curve for each channel is dis-
played as a separate envelope.

2. Adjust envelope points:

● Double-click to add a new envelope point.

● To delete an envelope point, right-click it and choose DELETE POINT(S)

from the submenu.
● Drag a point to change its position.

● Select a point to enable its tangent curve. You can drag the tangent to
adjust the curvature of the envelope around the envelope point:

● Right-click the tangent curve and clear the LOCK TANGENT(S) command to
adjust the halves of the curve independently, or choose RESET TANGENT(S)
to reset the tangent to horizontal.

3. To force all color curves to match a curve that you&apos;ve adjusted, click one of
the following buttons:

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Item Description

Click to force the green and blue curves to match the current set-
tings for the red curve.

Click to force the green and blue curves to match the current set-
tings for the red curve.

Click to force the green and blue curves to match the current set-
tings for the red curve.

Color Match

The Color Match plug-in allows you to match the color between clips. You can use this
plug-in to match two cameras shooting the same scene or for artistic effect.

1. Apply the Color Match plug-in to the video that you want to process. You can use
the plug-in as a media, event, track or output effect.

2. Select the MATCH BRIGHTNESS checkbox if you want the plug-in to attempt to
match the brightness in the source and target frames.
When the checkbox is cleared, color matching is performed without adjusting the
brightness.

3. Click a button in the SOURCE IMAGE area to select the image you want to use as
a reference for color matching.
● To match to the current frame in the Trimmer window, click the TRIMMER

BUTTON in the Color Adjustment plug-in.

● To match to the contents of your clipboard, copy the source image to the
clipboard in another application (or use the COPY SNAPSHOT TO
CLIPBOARD command in the Video Preview or Trimmer window) and then

click the PASTE FROM CLIPBOARD button

●
To select an image you want to adjust to, click the FILE button in the
Color Match Plug-in and navigate to an image file.

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● To capture a portion of your screen and match to it, click the SCREEN but-

ton The cursor turns into a crosshair, allowing you to capture a portion of
your screen.
● To match to the current frame in the Video Preview window, click the

PREVIEW button in the Color Match plug-in.

You can achieve different results by sampling different parts of your source
image.

4. Click a button in the TARGET IMAGE area to select the image you want to match
to your source.
● To match the current frame in the Trimmer window to your source image ,

click the TRIMMER BUTTON in the Color Match plug-in.

● To match the contents of your clipboard to the source image, copy the tar-
get image to the clipboard in another application (or use the COPY
SNAPSHOT TO CLIPBOARD command in the Video Preview or Trimmer win-

dow) and then click the PASTE FROM CLIPBOARD button .

●
To match your source image to another image, click the FILE button in the
Color Match Plug-in and navigate to an image file.
● To capture a portion of your screen and match it, click the SCREEN button

The cursor turns into a crosshair, allowing you to capture a portion of

your screen.
● To match to the current frame in the Video Preview window to the source

image, click the PREVIEW button in the Color Match plug-in.

You can achieve different results by sampling different parts of your source
image.

5. Drag the STRENGTH slider in the Color Match plug-in to adjust the amount of
color matching applied to your clip.
Moving the slider all the way to the left (0) bypasses color matching; moving the
slider all the way to the right (1) displays only the processed video. In the inter-
mediate settings, original and adjusted video are mixed.

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6. Use the Video Preview window to verify your color matching and adjust the set-
tings as needed.

HSL Adjust

HSL (Hue, Saturation, and Luminance) which is sometimes referred to as lightness, is a cor-
rection filter used to alter the display of colors in video. Besides improving an image or
video clip, this effect can be used in many creative and artistic applications.

Original HSL Adjust

Item Description

Adjusting the hue changes the colors in an image. Hue deals with
color in a different way than the RGB/CMYK method of a color bal-
ADD TO HUE ance effect, with Hue represented by a 360 degree color circle.
Either end of the hue slider (0.0000 or 1.0000) leave the hue
unaltered.

Saturation controls the intensity of the particular hue selected

SATURATION with the hue slider. Moving the slider all the way to the left (0)
removes all hue from the image, converting it to gray scale.

Controls the overall brightness of the image or video. A value of

LUMINOSITY
1.0000 leaves the brightness at its original level.

Invert

Invert reverses the complimentary colors and the brightness in an image or video, giving it
a photo negative effect.

Original Invert.

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LAB Adjust

LAB Adjust allows you to manipulate colors in the Lab (L*a*b* or L*, a*, b*) color space.
Adjusting colors in the LAB color space allows you to perform powerful edits:
● Adjust lightness (brightness) without affecting colors.

● Perform luminosity inversion without affecting colors.

● Change colors without affecting brightness.

● Produce high-quality desaturation and black-and-white conversion.

● Change subsets of colors without affecting their opponent colors.

Item Description

The BRIGHTNESS control allows you to gradually adjust the bright-

ness of the image without changing the colors in an image. Drag the
Brightness
slider to the right to brighten the image, or drag to the left to darken
the image.

The a channel contains green and magenta color information. Mov-

ing the slider all the way to the left (-1) shifts the green and magenta
Channel a
colors to green; moving the slider all the way to the right (1) shifts
the green and magenta colors to magenta.

The b channel contains blue and yellow color information. Moving

the slider all the way to the left (-1) shifts the blue and yellow colors
Channel b
to blue; moving the slider all the way to the right (1) shifts the blue
and yellow colors to yellow.

Invert Lumin- Select the checkbox to invert all luminance values, which creates a
osity negative image.

The DESATURATE control allows you to gradually adjust the a and b

color channels to black and white. Moving the slider all the way to
Desaturate
the right (1) removes all color from the image, converting it to gray
scale.

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LUT Filter

LUT stands for Look Up Table, and is often referred to as a Color Look Up Table. LUTs are
commonly used to add a specific color look to your video. Think of them as a universal
color preset. LUTs are applied as an OFX plug-in and can be added, like other video
effects, to tracks, video events, source media files (via the Project Media window), or to
the entire video project using any of the methods described in this chapter. The one dif-
ference is that you will have to browse to the LUT, to select it, from the plugin window.

1. Open the Video effects window and expand the OFX folder

2. Drag the effect LUT Filter to the desired location (Media, Event, Track, Main out-
put)

3. In the Video FX window, click the BROWSE button

4. Navigate to where you saved the LUT file, select the file, and click OPEN

5. Pick an Interpolation; LINEAR (GOOD) or TETRAHEDRAL (BEST)

6. Adjust the STRENGTH slider to achieve the look you prefer

NOTE
● Linear (good) interpolation is fast and reasonably accurate where as Tetra-
hedral is more accurate, but slightly slower.
● The LUT filter produces an image that is a blend of the original image and the

color-adjusted image. The Strength slider controls the mix, or the percentage
of the color-adjusted image vs. the original image. A setting of 0 would be
equal to no LUT being applied.

Saturation Adjust

The Saturation Adjust effect allows you to boost or cut a specific range of saturation levels.
You can fine tune color levels in the same way the you use the Track EQ.

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Descrip-
Item
tion

Drag the
slider or
type a
value in
the box
to set
the
amount
by
RATI-
which
O
the
selected
Original range of
sat-
uration
levels
will be
boosted
or cut.

Boost Midtones

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Descrip-
Item
tion

Drag the
slider or
type a
value in
the box
to set
CEN- the cen-
TER ter of
the
range of
colors
that will
be adjus-
ted.

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Descrip-
Item
tion

TIP
To
quick-
ly
find
the
appr-
opri-
ate
set-
ting,
set
the
SPR-
EAD
con-
trol
to a
low
valu-
e,
incre-
ase
the
AMO-
UNT
set-
ting,
and
drag
the
CEN-
TER
slider
back
and
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forth
until
 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Descrip-
Item
tion

Drag the
slider or
type a
value in
the box
to set
the
SPR- range of
EAD hues
around
the
CENTER
value
that will
be adjus-
ted.

Drag the
slider or
type a
value in
the box
to boost
or cut
sat-
LOW uration
from the
low end
of the
spread
to the
left end
of the
graph.

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Descrip-
Item
tion

Drag the
slider or
type a
value in
the box
to boost
or cut
sat-
UP uration
ONE from the
high end
of the
spread
to the
right
end of
the
graph.

Sepia

Sepia is a specific color tint associated with old movies.The default settings will produce a
standard sepia tone, but you can use the color boxes to tint your video any color that you
want.

Original Sepia (Preset=Sepia Warm)

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

Color You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use the
eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

The color you select will be used as the filter color.

Blending
Determines the overall opacity/transparency of the color filter.
strength

Determines how smooth the filter mixes with the source video's ori-
Blending
ginal colors.Values closer to 1.000 (right) will have less color overall
falloff
and therefore appear more grey.

Soft Contrast

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Effect Tab
Item Description

Stretch Extends the high end of the luminance values without boosting the
range dark values.

Controls the overall amount of contrast correction. Application of sub-

Contrast
sequent parameters are also controlled by this value.

Controls the extent of simulated light diffusion. Higher values result

Diffusion
in softer highlights.

Controls the amount of contrast enhancement in darker regions.

Low trim
Higher values result in lighter dark regions.

Controls the amount of contrast enhancement in brighter regions.

High trim
Higher values result in darker highlights.

Tint Adjusts the amount of color cast in the resulting image.

Correction
Selects the hue component of the color used for tinting.
hue

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Vignette Tab
Item Description

Determines if and what type of vignette framing is applied around the

image. The different types of effect are Blur, Black, White, and Trans-
Exterior parent.
effect
*Each option for Exterior effect has the following parameters. Blur
has additional parameters.

Determines how visible the effect is. Higher values make the effect
Level
more apparent.

Horizontal Adjusts the extent of horizontal softening. Higher values result in

blur more blurring.

Adjusts the extent of vertical softening. Higher values result in more

Vertical blur
blurring.

Vignette Determines which shape is used to generate the framing. The two
shape shapes, rectangle and ellipse, each have its own set of parameters.

Controls the crispness of the vignette edges. Higher values create

Softness
softer edges.

Controls the width of the vignette. Higher values create a wider

Width
ellipse.

Controls the height of the vignette. Higher values create a taller

Height
ellipse.

Corner Rounds the corners of the rectangle. Higher values create corners
radius with larger radii.

Adjusts the position of the rectangle on the x axis. Higher values

X Position
move the rectangle from left to right.

Adjusts the position of the rectangle on the y axis. Higher values

Y Position
move the rectangle from up to down.

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White Balance

The White Balance plug-in allows you to correct video and images in which white balance
has been set incorrectly.

Image with Incorrect White Balance Corrected image

1. Position your cursor on the frame you want to adjust in the timeline.

2. Click the SELECT WHITE COLOR color picker.

You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use the eyedropper

tool to sample a color from your screen.

3. In the Video Preview window, click a portion of the frame that should be white.
The image is adjusted to make the color you clicked white.

4. If you want to fine-tune the effect, you can drag the AMOUNT OF CORRECTION
slider.

5. If you want to adjust the overall brightness of the image, you can drag the
BRIGHTNESS slider.

6. If there is no neutral color available in the video, you can adjust the white color
also by setting the Color TEMPERATURE or the TINT with the according slider.

Creative Effects

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Add Noise

Use the Add Noise filter to add static or noise to a video sequence. When applied to a
simple solid colored background with a monochrome setting and animated, it can produce
a pattern similar to a television that is not tuned to any station.

Original Add Noise

Item Description

Noise level Determines the strength of the effect.

Select this option to make the noise all one color. When this
Monochromatic
option is not selected, the static will appear with random colors.

Gaussian noise A method for creating more intense noise.

Animate Check this box to make the noise move randomly.

AutoLooks

Use this effect on media, events, tracks, or the entire project to quickly give your video the
look of a specific movie, genre, or film style.

Original "Restored" look applied with strength 0.337

Item Description

Look Select a movie look from the drop-down list.

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Item Description

Level Reduce the intensity of the color adjustment with the Strength fader

Black Bar Fill

When you insert image or video material into a movie that has a different aspect ratio,
black bars appear at the edges. This happens, for example, whenever you insert videos or
pictures taken in portrait mode into a movie in landscape mode.

FIGURE An upright image in a 16:9 video, on the left without, on the right with black bar filling

With the Black Bar Fill plug-in, you can fill these black bars with a background of matching
color. For this purpose, a blurred copy of the image material is placed behind the image,
enlarged so that the background is completely filled in and the black bars are hidden.

Item Description

To make the actual video stand out better from the background, it
Foreground |
is provided with a shadow. How clearly this shadow is visible
Shadow blur
depends on how much blur you set for the shadow with the slider.

Use the small crosshair in the preview monitor to determine the pos-
Background | ition of the background image. You can also enter the values numer-
Position ically or click the arrow next to POSITION to display an X/Y control
for it.

Background |
Use the slider to adjust the magnification of the image.
Scaling

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Item Description

Background | Set a value for the background blur using the slider. Note that
Blur simply by zooming in on the image, blurriness is already created.

Borders

Border changes the appearance of the perimeter of your video.

Original Beveled

Item Description

Choose a border type from the drop-down list:

● BLURRED: Adds a border with a feathered, transparent edge.
TYPE
● BEVELED: Adds a rectangular border with mitered edges.

● SOLID: Adds a solid rectangular border.

SIZE Drag the slider to adjust the width of the border.

When BEVELED is selected in the TYPE drop-down list, drag this slider
to simulate a light source shining on your beveled surface. Set to zero to
ANGLE
place the light source at the top of the border, or increase the angle to
move the light source clockwise around the border.

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Item Description

When BEVELED or SOLID is selected in the TYPE drop-down list, use

COLOR the color sliders or enter RGB values to choose the color of your border
and specify an Alpha channel. Also specify an alpha channel.

Bump Map

The Bump Map plug-in can add texture and lighting effects.

The texture of the bump map is applied to the composited child tracks: light sections of the
map represent high areas, and dark sections represent low areas.

You can also use the Bump Map plug in as a standard video effect. In this mode, the image
is used as a source image and bump map.

Parent track

Child track

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Bump Map Output

Item Description

Drag the yellow dot (or enter coordinates in the X and Y boxes) to
set the position of the light source.
SRC X/Y/Z
Drag the vertical slider (or enter a value in the Z box) to set the
height of the light source.

Drag the + (or enter coordinates in the X and Y boxes) to set the des-
DST X/Y tination of the light. These controls are available only if SPOTLIGHT
is selected in the LIGHT TYPE drop-down list.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose the type of light
LIGHT TYPE
that is projected on the map.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to adjust the strength of
INTENSITY
the light source.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to adjust the focus of the
light source. Decrease the setting to create a tight, focused spot-
FOCUS light, or increase the setting to increase the width of the beam.

These controls are available only if SPOTLIGHT is selected in the

LIGHT TYPE drop-down list.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to adjust the amount of
AMBIENCE
ambient light in the image.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to make the surface of
SHININESS
the image appear more or less reflective.

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Item Description

BUMP Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to set the maximum
HEIGHT bump height.

BUMP Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate which channel
CHANNEL you want to use for the bump map.

Select this checkbox if you want white areas in the bump map to be
WHITE IS
treated as the high areas of the texture. Clear the checkbox if you
HIGH
want black areas to be high.

FLIP INPUT
Select this checkbox to swap the source and map images.
SURFACES

Convolution Kernel

Use the Convolution Kernel effect to perform image processing by recalculating each
pixel's color value based on the surrounding pixels. Varying methods of convolution can
produce blurring, embossing, and sharpening.

FIGURE Original FIGURE Emboss

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the center controls.

The numbers in the Convolution Matrix are used to determine the

weight that each surrounding pixel bears on the center pixel.

For example, setting the COLUMN 2 value to 1 and the COLUMN 1 and
COLUMN 3 values to 0 produces no change because you are simply
multiplying the source pixel value by one.
Row 1
However, setting the ROW 1, COLUMN 1 value to 1, the ROW 2,
Row 2 COLUMN 2 value to 0, the ROW 3, COLUMN 3value to -1, and the Off-
Row 3 set to 0.5 will produce the embossed effect you see in the preceding
example.

Embossing occurs because you are taking the color value from a pixel
above and to the left of your pixel and subtracting from it the color
value of the pixel below and to the right of it. The 0.5 OFFSET setting
creates a 50% white (gray) color value as base. The subtraction of
the surrounding pixels makes the edges appear lighter or darker, cre-
ating the emboss effect.

Enter a value to rotate the convolution matrix before applying it to the

Rotation image. By using settings greater than 360 degrees, you can apply mul-
tiple revolutions.

When the AUTO NORMALIZE checkbox is cleared, the multiplication

Scaling value from the Convolution Matrix is divided by this value to create a
weighted average.

This value is added to each channel of the processed image. A set-

Offset ting of 0 applies no offset; a setting of 1 is the maximum and adds
pure white to each channel.

Auto Select this checkbox to normalize the SCALE setting so that the ker-
Normalize nel's average is 1.

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Cookie Cutter

Use the Cookie Cutter effect to create picture-in-picture effects or to crop your video.

Original Cookie Cutter (Preset=Circle, Center)

Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls to set the color
of the border around the cutout..
Color Sliders
You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use
the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to determine the cutout

Shape
shape.

Determines what part of the video image is revealed/masked:

● Cut everything apart from section:

The cutout shape forms a window which displays your

Then video.
● Cut section:

The cutout shape covers your video and the area outside
the shape is visible.

Drag the slider to determine how smoothly the cutout border

Feather
fades into the background.

Drag the slider to determine the size of the border around the
Borders
cutout shape.

Drag the slider to repeat the cutout shape along the horizontal axis
Repeat X
by the number of times specified.

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Item Description

Drag the slider to repeat the cutout shape along the vertical axis
Repeat Y
by the number of times specified.

Size Drag the slider to set the size of the selected cutout shape.

Enter the coordinates for the center of the effect into the text
boxes or drag the circle on the position map to the desired loc-
ation.

Click the arrow to show or hide the center controls.

Perform any of the following actions to set the center of the cutout
within your project's video frame:
Center
●
Drag the point in the position box:
● Type coordinates in the position box.0.00, 0.00 rep-
resents the lower-left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50 rep-
resents the center, and 1.00, 1.00 represents the upper-
right corner.

Drag the slider to adjust the horizontal alignment of the left and
right-eye views to set the perceived position of the
Stereoscopic
● video relative to screen depth
3D depth
● cutout relative to screen depth

Crop

Crop allows you to define a specific area of a video frame by adjusting its size, position,
rotation, and transparency. This enables you to crop or highlight specific parts of the
video, and you can even create animated effects by using keyframes to change the set-
tings over the course of the video.

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You can apply the Crop OFX plug-in at all the same places you can apply any OFX Plug-in;
Media level, Project, Track or Event. To take advantage of the Preview Window interacts it
is best applied at the Track or Event level. In this example, we’ll add it to a specific event.

1. With at least one event on the timeline, open the Video FX window.

2. Expand the OFX folder.

3. Choose CROP.

4. Drag and drop the default preset on the event. You now see the Video Event FX
window as well as the interacts in the Video Preview window.

1. The interact controls include four crop handles; Left, Top, Right, Bottom.
Once you drag one of these handles, the handle opposite it becomes the
anchor point. e.g., if you drag the right handle the left handle becomes the
anchor point. The anchor point has a black dot in the middle of the handle
icon.

5. To crop off a portion of the image, click and drag a crop handle toward the center.
e.g., to crop off the left side of the image, drag the left crop handle toward the cen-
ter.

6. To crop using the Video FX window:

1. Click the Anchor Point drop-down arrow and choose an anchor point.

2. Use the X CROP or Y CROP slider or enter a specific value in the X or Y text
box to set the crop.

7. To change the location of the cropped area using the Video Preview interact, click
and drag the selection area to a new position.

8. To change the Location using the Video FX window, type a new value into the
LOCATION text box. Or, click the arrow next to Location in the Video FX window to
expand the LOCATION field and click and drag the location control.

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9. To adjust the Angle using the Video Preview window, click and drag the circle
inside the selection area.

10. To adjust the Angle using the Video FX window, enter a value in the angle text
box, or drag the Angle slider.

11. To adjust Opacity, enter a number in the OPACITY text box in the Video FX win-
dow or drag the OPACITY slider.

TIP If you want to create an animated crop, use the keyframe controller at the bottom
of the Video Event FX window to establish distinct settings throughout the duration of
the event. To access the keyframe controller click the animate button associated with
the parameter you want to animate. For more information, see "Keyframe animation".
Because the parameters are so dependent on each other it is important to have anim-
ation turned on for ALL the parameters before you start to animate a crop.

Layer Dimensionality

You can use the layer dimensionality filter to add depth to video and images that contain
alpha transparency. The filter allows you to add shadow, glow, and embossing effects.

Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the shadow controls.

TYPE: Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose whether

you want to apply no shadow, a drop shadow, or an outer shadow to
your layer.

HEIGHT: Drag the slider to the right to increase the shadow offset,
Shadow or drag left to decrease the offset. The position of the shadow is
also controlled by the Light Location settings.

BLUR: Drag the slider to determine how smoothly the text shadow
blends into the background.

OPACITY: Drag the slider to adjust the transparency/opacity of the

shadow.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the glow controls.

TYPE: Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose whether

you want to apply a glowing outline to your layer.
Glow
AMOUNT: Drag the slider to adjust the intensity of the glow effect.

COLOR: To set the color of the glow effect, you can use the color
picker, type color values (or names), or use the eyedropper to
sample a color from your screen.

Click the arrow to show or hide the emboss controls.

FOREGROUND: Drag the slider to the left decrease the height of

the foreground embossing, or drag to the right to increase the
height of the embossing.

BACKGROUND: Drag the slider to the left decrease the height of the
background embossing, or drag to the right to increase the height
of the embossing.
Emboss LIGHT INTENSITY: Drag the slider to adjust the strength of the light
source.

LIGHT AMBIENCE: Drag the slider to adjust the amount of ambient

light in the image.

ROUNDNESS: Drag the slider to the left to create a hard bevel, or

drag to the right to create a rounded embossed effect.

SHININESS: Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to make the
surface of the image appear more or less reflective.

Foreground Drag the slider to the left to make the foreground more transparent,
Opacity or drag to the right to make the foreground more opaque.

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Item Description

Perform any of the following actions to position the light source

within your project's video frame:

Light Loca-
Drag the point in the position box:
tion
Drag the slider to set the height of the light source above the frame.

You can also type coordinates in the position box.

Median

This plug-in is another method of blurring an image that works by replacing pixel values
with the median value from the surrounding pixels. This effect produces a smudged appear-
ance that resembles a watercolor effect at higher pixel values. At lower values, it can be
used as a correction filter to remove noise.

FIGURE Original

FIGURE 25% preset FIGURE Round Extreme Horizontal Preset

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Item Description

Horizontal
range Drag the sliders or enter values in the edit boxes to set the size of
the area surrounding each pixel the plug-in will use to determine the
Vertical median value (the midpoint of the distribution of pixel values).
range

Moving the slider to the left darkens the image; moving the slider to
Offset
the right brightens the image.

Select this checkbox if you want the plug-in to use a circular area
Circular area
around each pixel when determining the median. When the check-
processing
box is cleared, the plug-in will use a square area.

Min and Max

This filter can be used to pixelate an image or video. The exact method of pixelation is
based on minimum or maximum brightness values. The pixels in the image are first
grouped together and then the minimum (or maximum) pixel value in each group is applied
to all of the pixels in that group.

FIGURE Original

FIGURE Min FIGURE Max

Item Description

Select an option from the drop-down menu to indicate whether you

Operation
want to pixelate using the minimum or maximum brightness values.

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Item Description

Horizontal
range Drag the sliders or enter values in the edit boxes to determine the
Vertical size of the groups of pixels that are created in this effect.
range

Select this checkbox if you want the plug-in to group a rounded area
Circular area
around each pixel. When the checkbox is cleared, the plug-in will use
processing
a square area.

Mirror

The Mirror effect reflects a video event along a specified center.

FIGURE Original FIGURE Reflect Top

Item Description

Drag the slider to set the angle of reflection: 0 reflects the top of
ANGLE
the video; 180 reflects the bottom.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the center controls.

Perform one of the following actions to set the center of the

reflection:

●
Drag the point in the position box:
CENTER
● Type coordinates in the position box. 0.00, 0.00 rep-
resents the lower-left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50
represents the center, and 1.00, 1.00 represents the
upper-right corner.

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or
BACKGROUND
use the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen to
choose the color of the background that will be displayed if your
video does not fill the entire frame..

Newsprint

The News Print effect simulates the effect of scanning images from a color photo, offset
print, newspaper, or magazine. You can adjust the dot size and type of printing you want to
simulate.

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Ite- Descrip-
m tion

Drag
the
slider or
DO- enter a
T value in
SIZ- the box
E: to spe-
cify the
dot
size.

Original Choose
a set-
ting
from
the
drop-
down
list to
TY-
choose
PE
the type
of print-
ing
you&a-
pos;d
like to
sim-
Newspaper
ulate.

Picture in Picture

The Picture in Picture effect allows you to resize and position clips for picture-in-picture
compositing.

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1. Add two media clips to your project. The video that you want to display as a pic-
ture over a background picture should be on the top track. The background pic-
ture should be on the lower track.

2. Open the video effect widow, expand the OFX folder and choose the Picture-in-
Picture effect.

1. To apply the effect to the track; drag the effect to the track header.

2. To apply the effect to an event; drag the effect to the event.

You now see the top video in the default PiP positioned in the middle of the pre-
view window.

3. There are two different methods for changing the location of the PiP; using the
controls in the Video FX window or by manipulating it directly in the Preview win-
dow.
Using the Video FX window:

1. In the video FX window click the arrow to the left of LOCATION

2. Click and drag the position control to reposition the PiP window.

3. You can also type specific coordinates into the Location text box

Using the Preview window:

1. Click and drag anywhere inside the PiP window in the preview window.
When you are in window-move mode the border will turn green.

4. There are two different methods for changing the size of the PiP; using the con-
trols in the Video FX window or by manipulating it directly in the Preview window.
Using the Video FX window:

1. Drag the SCALE slider or type a specific number into the SCALE text
box.

Using the Preview window:

1. When the Video FX window is open adjustment handles are located on

each corner and on the edges of the PiP window. These handles

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enable you to change the size of the PiP window. When you access
these handles the borders turn red.

2. Position your mouse over one of the adjustment handles. The mouse
changes to a 4-way pointing arrow. Click and drag a corner adjustment
handle to resize while maintaining the aspect ratio.

In VEGAS Pro, some additional settings of the Picture-in-Picture FX are available:

● You can also adjust the angle of the PiP using either the Video FX window or the
Preview window.
◉ To adjust the angle using the Video FX window, move the ANGLE slider or
type a specific number into the ANGLE text box.
◉ To adjust the angle using the Video Preview window, point your mouse any-
where along the circle inside the PiP window and your mouse will change to
a curving arrow. Click and drag the circle. The control borders will change to
the color purple.
● With MODE: you can change the Mode setting from FIXED SHAPE to FIXED
PARALLELOGRAM or FREE FORM to not to maintain the form and/or aspect ratio
of the picture:
◉ In Mode FIXED PARALLELOGRAM you can shift the sides of the picture to
get a parallelogram, where the opposite sides stay at the same length. Use
the SHEAR slider in the FX window to shift the vertical sides or move the
corner points to achieve an arbitrary parallelogram.
◉ The Mode FREE FORM enables you to distort the picture into an arbitrary
quadrangle where the opposite sides' length can differ. Adjust your picture
with the four CORNER POINTS controls in the FX window or click and drag
the corner adjustment handles in the Preview window.
● To adjust the OPACITY of the PiP, drag the OPACITY slider in the Video FX win-
dow or type a specific number into the Opacity text box.

Pixelate

Pixelate creates the effect of viewing the video at a lower resolution, making it appear
blocky. Very effective when used with keyframe animation to move from highly pixelated
to the unaltered video as a sort of transition. The effect can also be combined with a mask

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to hide someone&apos;s face or anything else you might want to cover.

The HORIZONTAL PIXELATION and VERTICAL PIXELATION sliders control the dimensions
of the pixels. If the sliders are set to the same value, the pixels are square.

FIGURE Original FIGURE Pixelated

Slow Motion

Use the Slow Motion effect to create high-quality slow motion.

In order to create slow motion, VEGAS Pro delays the original frames of the video so that
there is more time between the movement those frames record. To attempt to create con-
tinuous motion, VEGAS Pro must create additional video frames to fill in the extra time
between the original frames.

When you use the Playback Rate setting or the Velocity Curves to create slow motion,
VEGAS Pro creates exact copies of the existing frames to use as these extra frames. Since
the original frames are repeated, the process can result in choppy slow-motion sequences.

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The Slow Motion Plug-In, on the other hand, synthesizes new intermediate frames from the
existing frames. To do this, it analyses and interprets the differences between two frames
to create entirely new frames that move smoothly from the first frame to the second. This
makes the slow motion look much more fluid and natural in many cases.

For this process, VEGAS Pro leverages real-time computation technology that requires no
prior analysis.

How to apply the Slow Motion plug-in to your footage

1. Click the Video FX tab to open the Video FX window.

2. Select Slow Motion from the list of plug-ins.

3. Drag the Default preset onto the timeline clip event that you want to apply it to.

4. Set parameters:
● Click the QUALITY drop-down list and choose the setting you want. This set-
ting determines the analysis precision in terms of how much video inform-
ation the tool considers during the process. Experiment with these options.
You might find that the lower-quality settings give adequate results with
lower processing requirements.
● Experiment with the BLENDING options to see which of those you like best.

● Adjust the PLAYBACK RATE to set the new speed you want your video to
play back at.

5. Optional: Click the VISUALIZATION drop-down arrow and select the SHOW
OPTICAL FLOW FIELD checkbox.

Automatically adjust the length

Once you’ve applied slow motion, your timeline event will no longer be long enough to hold
all of the footage it did before you slowed the footage down. For example, if you slow your
footage down to a rate of .5, only half of the original frames fit into the event.

To automatically adjust the length of the event so that it once again holds all of the original
frames:

» Click the ADJUST EVENT LENGTH button. This stretches your event to the size neces-
sary to play the full media with the Slow Motion effect applied.

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Spherize

This effect distorts the image as though it were being wrapped around a spherical shape.
This gives objects a 3-D appearance.

FIGURE Original FIGURE Spherize

Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the center controls.

Perform one of the following actions to set the center of the effect:

●
Drag the point in the position box:
Center
● Type coordinates in the position box. 0.00, 0.00 represents the
lower-left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50 represents the center,
and 1.00, 1.00 represents the upper-right corner.

Determines the amount of deformation. Positive settings produce a con-

Ratio
vex effect, and negative settings produce a concave effect.

Click the arrow to show or hide the scaling controls.

Drag the HORIZONTAL slider to determine the width of the sphere.

Scaling Drag the VERTICAL slider to determine the height of the sphere.

When the PROPORTIONAL checkbox is selected, the vertical and hori-

zontal scaling are proportional based on the HORIZONTAL value. When
not selected, vertical and horizontal scaling can be set independently.

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Swirl

Twists the image more tightly in the center than at the edges. This can be useful for cre-
ating artistic deformation of your video.

Original Swirl

Item Description

Determines the location of the center of the effect. Drag the

CENTER
square to change the center.

X Sets the center of the effect on the X axis.

Y Determines the center of the effect on the Y axis.

Controls the degree of swirl applied to the image. Adjusting

RATIO
the amount past zero causes the swirl to change directions.

HORIZONTAL Determines the width of the swirl.

VERTICAL Determines the height of the swirl.

When selected, the vertical and horizontal scaling are pro-

portional based on the value in the Horizontal edit box. When
PROPORTIONAL
not selected, vertical and horizontal scaling can be set inde-
pendently.

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Threshold

The Threshold filter is used to adjust a video so that it can be used as a mask more effect-
ively. By adjusting the threshold, portions of the video can be made identical making
chroma keying and mask generation easier.

Original Threshold Effect

TV Simulator

The TV Simulator effect allows you to mimic the appearance of video viewed on a tele-
vision.

TIP Use the TV Simulator as a transition to simulate channel changes with a rotary dial.

Original TV Look

Item Description

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to adjust the mag-
Detail Zoom nification of the TV simulation. Increasing this setting gives
the appearance of viewing a television from close up.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to adjust the appear-
ance of an aperture grill in your video. Increase the setting to
Aperture Grill
make the grill more visible, or decrease the setting to make
the grill less visible.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to adjust the appear-
ance of horizontal interlacing bands. Increase the setting to
Interlacing
make the bands more visible, or decrease the setting to make
the bands less visible.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to simulate the dis-
Line Sync
tortion and flicker of an improper line sync rate.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to adjust the vertical
Vertical Sync sync rate of your video. Decreasing this setting simulates a
misadjusted horizontal hold control.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to adjust the scan
Scan Phasing rate of your video. Increasing this setting adds rolling hori-
zontal bands of light to your video.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to adjust the appear-
Phosphorescence
ance of blue television phosphorescence in your video.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to add static to your
Static
video to simulate poor reception.

Vignette

Use the Vignette effect to soften the borders of your video clip.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or enter

OUTER a value in the edit box
RADIUS to set the size of the
vignette.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the edit box
Original INNER
to set the size of the
RADIUS
center portion of the
Vignette vignette.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the edit box
ASPECT
to set the aspect ratio
of the vignette.

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Item Description

Enter the coordinates

for the center of the
effect into the text
boxes or drag the circle
on the position map to
the desired location.

Click the arrow to

show or hide the center
controls.

Perform any of the fol-

lowing actions to set
the center of the effect
within your project's
video frame:
● Drag the point in
CENTER
the position box:

● Type coordin-
ates in the pos-
ition box.0.00,
0.00 represents
the lower-left
corner of the
frame, 0.50, 0.50
represents the
center, and 1.00,
1.00 represents
the upper-right
corner.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or type

a value in the box to set
ROTATION
the angle of the vign-
ette.

Drag the slider to

determine how
smoothly the vignette
FEATHER fades between the
OUTER RADIUS and
INNER RADIUS set-
tings.

Click the arrow to

show or hide the color
controls.

You can use the color

picker, type color val-
COLOR ues (or names), or use
the eyedropper to
sample a color from
your screen.

The color you select

will set the color of the
vignette border.

Select this checkbox if

you want the center of
the vignette to be solid
INVERT
and the outside of the
vignette to be trans-
parent.

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Wave

This effect distorts the video either horizontally, vertically or in both directions. You can
control the number and height of the waves as well as their position. When animated and
combined with a transition, this effect can produce a great dream sequence type effect.

Original Wave

Item Description

Vertical/Horizontal waves This controls the number of waves.

Vertical/Horizontal amp-
Amplitude means the height of the waves.
litude

Phase basically sets the position of the waves on the

Vertical/Horizontal phase
screen.

Light Effects

Fill Light

Item Description

Hue Selects the hue component of the color used for tinting.

Level Controls the overall amount of fill light correction.

Adjusts the balance of the resulting image. Negative values result in

Deviation
greater illumination of darker regions.

Tint Adjusts the amount of color cast in the fill light.

Controls the amount of diffusion in the fill light. Higher values result in
Softness
more diffusion.

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Glow

Apply the Glow effect to create a halo effect around bright objects in a video.

Original Glow (Red)

Item Description

Changes the amount the light radiates (similar to feathering).

GLOW PERCENT NOTE GLOW PERCENT, INTENSITY, and SUPPRESSION all

work together. Make adjustments to each setting to get the
desired effect.

INTENSITY Adjusts the intensity of the glow color.

SUPPRESSION Drag to suppress the glow so it is applied only to highlights.

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

COLOR To set the color of the glow effect, you can use the color picker,
type color values (or names), or use the eyedropper to sample a
color from your screen.

Lens Flare

Use the Lens Flare effect to simulate the light reflections of a camera lens.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to

show or hide the color
controls.

You can use the color

picker, type color val-
Light color
FIGURE Original ues (or names), or use
FIGURE Lens effect
the eyedropper to
sample a color from
your screen to choose
the color of the light
source.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to

show or hide the light
position controls.

Perform one of the fol-

lowing actions to set
the position of the light
source causing the
lens flare effect:
● Drag the point in
the position

box:
Light Loca- ● Type coordin-
tion ates in the pos-
ition box. 0.00,
0.00 represents
the lower-left
corner of the
frame, 0.50,
0.50 represents
the center, and
1.00, 1.00 rep-
resents the
upper-right
corner.

Choose a lens from

the drop-down list to
Lens type: specify the number of
flares that will be cre-
ated.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or

enter a value in the
box to adjust the
Tint
amount of tint that will
be applied to the
rendered light source.

Drag the slider or

enter a value in the
Intensity
field to set the
strength of the effect.

Drag the slider or

enter a value in the
field to set the trans-
parency for the light
Blend
flare effect. a setting
of 0 is completely
transparent; a setting
of 1 is opaque.

Drag the slider or

enter a value in the
Size
field to set the size of
the light flare effect.

Drag the slider or

enter a value in the
Perspective
field to set the angle of
the light flare effect.

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Starburst

Item Description

Determines the luminance level of the source material on which the

Threshold Starburst effect acts. Higher threshold levels result in less material
being affected.

Adjusts the intensity of the highlights. Higher boost results in

Brilliance
brighter highlights.

Adjusts the visibility of the overall effect. Higher values result in

Strength
more visible highlights.

Adjusts the length of the highlights. Higher values result in longer

Radius
highlights.

Controls the number of streaks emanating from the highlight. Higher

Points
values result in more streaks.

Controls the strength of secondary streaks emanating from the cen-

Center burst ter. The overall effect can be subtle, but becomes more apparent as
the value of brilliance increases.

Spins the highlights through a 360-degree cycle. Higher values spin

Orientation
the highlights clockwise.

Adjusts the width-to-height ratio of the effect in the same way an

Aspect
anamorphic lens compresses an image.

Adjusts the size of the smoothing region along the exterior of the
Soften frame. Used for suppressing harsh transitions caused by moving
edges light sources as they enter and leave the frame. Higher values result
in a smoother transition but a smaller area of effect

Reduce Toggles prefiltering of the source material to reduce unwanted flick-

flicker ering in the output.

Effect only Determines if the source is also displayed in the output of the effect.

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Utility Effects

Bézier Masking

Masking is used for two purposes:

● The mask defines an area of the video that is excluded from the video output so

that any video on video tracks below will show through.

● The mask defines an area of the video where an effect is applied, leaving the

remainder of the video unaltered .

With the BÉZIER MASKING plug-in you can create up to five masks using simple preset
shapes (rectangle, ellipsis, diamond), or complex custom shapes controlled with Bézier
drawing tools. You can also apply motion-tracking to have the software automatically
move the mask in order to follow an object as it moves through the video frame.

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Masking an area
You can mask an area of the video frame so events lower on the timeline will show through:

1. Add the BÉZIER MASKING effect to the video event by clicking on the EVENT FX

BUTTON . The effect parameter window opens and a default rectangular mask is
created with controls on the preview display.

2. Adjust as desired size, position and rotation of the mask with the controls on the
preview display:
● Click and drag anywhere inside the rectangle to move the mask

● Click and drag the white handles at the corner to change the size of the

mask. The mask is scaled around its center and the aspect ratio is pre-
served.
● Click and drag the yellow handles at the sides to change the width or height

independently.
● Click and drag the handle at the circle in the center to change the rotation
angle of the mask.

3. The initial mask is part of the MASK 1 section of the Effect parameter panel.
Expand the section to further adjust the mask parameters.

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● ENABLE: Activate/de-activate the mask with this check box. When you want
more masks on the event, expand the according MASK 2 to MASK 5sections
as desired, and enable the additional masks with this option.
● TYPE: Besides the default RECTANGLE type you can select here the preset

forms DIAMOND and OVAL. When you select CURVEuse the Bézier controls
to create masks with complex shapes(see below).
● WIDTH/HEIGHT/ANGLE/LOCATION: These values reflect the values of the

interactive controls and specific values can be set in these fields..

● OPACITY: Change the opacity of the mask. The default value of 1 produces a

totally opaque area outside of the mask shape. Lower the value to let the
masked areas become gradually visible.
● FEATHER: Use this parameter to blend the masked and unmasked areas.

With FEATHER STYLE you can specify whether the blend starts at the bor-
der and moves out of the masked area (OUT), moves into the masked area
(IN), or in both directions (BOTH).

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General options

The GENERAL OPTIONS affect all masks:

● INVERT: To invert a mask, check the INVERT option. With this option selected,

everything inside the mask is masked out.

● Mask FX: Use this option to mask the effects of all plug-in(s) in the effect chain

that precede the Bézier mask plug-in rather than the video itself. (See below).
● BLEND: Adjusts the overall impact of the effect: If the effect is used as a mask,

increasing this value will increase the transparency of all masks. If the masks are
used to mask an effect, the strength of the effect is adjusted.

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Masking an area to limit the application of

other effects
You can use the mask to limit an effect so that it is only present inside the masked area:

1. Add one or more effects to the effect chain.

2. Add the Bézier Masking effect as the last effect in the chain.

3. The default rectangular mask is created and made visible on the preview display.

4. Expand the GENERAL OPTIONS section of the Bézier masking parameter panel
and check the MASK FX box.

TIP The INVERT checkbox can be used if you want to have the effects apply
everywhere except the masked area.

5. The preview display now shows that the effects that precede Bézier masking are
only applied to the mask area. Edit your mask as necessary in the MASK 1 section
(see above).

NOTE Note that the Bézier Masking OFX masks all of the preceding effects.

This applies also other instances of the Bézier Mask, in other words, if you have more than
one mask, everything outside the latest mask is not affected at all.

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Here a ”wrong color” effect is applied and then masked by the first Bézier masking effect.
Then a blur is applied followed by a second Bézier mask. The end result is that only the
video inside the second mask is blurred and color adjusted. Outside the second mask the
color change from the first mask is also masked.

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Defining a custom mask shape

Instead of using the preset mask shapes (rectangle, oval, and diamond) you can also cre-
ate a custom shape by specifying anchor points along the desired edge and setting the
angle of tangents at each anchor. (These are the Bézier curves that give the plug-in its
name).

1. Add the Bézier masking effect to the video event. The default rectangular mask is
created and made visible on the preview display.

2. Expand the MASK 1 section in the effects parameter window and change TYPE to
CURVE. The default mask will disappear and “Edit Mode” is activated allowing a
new custom mask to be drawn on the preview display.

3. Expand the GENERAL OPTIONS section of the Bézier masking parameter panel
and adjust the BLEND value to allow some of the original image to show through
for reference.

4. Click and hold the mouse to create an initial anchor point, drag the mouse to ori-
ent its tangent, then release the mouse.

5. Choose a new location for another anchor, click and hold the mouse again to cre-
ate a second anchor point, drag the mouse to orient its tangent, and then release
the mouse. Notice that a dashed curve is drawn to represent the edge of the mask
between the two anchor points.

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6. When all desired anchors have been created, click the initial anchor to complete
the closed curve that defines the mask.

7. The mouse can be used to move anchor points and to reorient tangents.

IMPORTANT You cannot move the initial anchor before closing the curve.

8. While creating the curve or after closing the curve, alternative EDIT TOOLS can be
selected from the parameter panel:
● to move curve segments, anchor points and tangents without (accidentally)

adding anchor points, choose NORMAL.

● to delete anchor points, choose DELETE.

● to add anchor points, choose ADD.

NOTE To add a new anchor point between two existing ones the curve
has to be closed first.

● to add anchor points with two independent tangents (to make the curve dis-
continuous to get pointy corners in the shape) choose SPLIT. You can also
adjust the handles of an existing point with the Split tool to split the tangents
of that anchor.

9. When finished editing the curve, deselect the EDIT MODE checkbox to return to
the normal preview display. The preview display will update to show the custom
mask.

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The Interacts on the preview display can now be used to further revise the pos-
ition, size, or rotation angle of the mask. Rotation & Location Remember to set the
Blend Amount back to 1.0 if you want a completely opaque mask.

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Motion tracking a mask

Once a mask as been created the mask's position (optionally also its size and rotation) can
be set to follow an object in the scene until that object is obscured by other objects in the
scene or moves out of view. Use this for instance for blurring a person's face for privacy
reasons and let the blur follow the face as it moves through a scene:

1. Add the BÉZIER MASKING effect to the video event. The default rectangular mask
is created and made visible on the preview display.

2. Adjust the mask to cover the object to follow.

3. Expand the MASK 1 section, expand the TRACKING sub-section

4. Place the timeline cursor at the point in the event where you want to start the
tracking.

5. Click START. A progress box will appear showing the processing time and percent
remaining if tracking were to proceed to the end of the video event. Use the
CANCEL button to stop tracking when desired.
If the object being tracked moves out of view, is obscured, or becomes confused
with other elements of the scene, tracking may stop automatically. Tracking can
be continued by manually advancing the video to a point where the object is vis-
ible again, manually moving the mask to the proper position and then clicking
START again.

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6. The result of the tracking is a keyframe animation of the

WIDTH/HEIGHT/ANGLE/LOCATION parameters of the mask. These animation key-
frames can be manually revised or deleted to adjust tracking as desired.

Refine the tracking in the OPTIONS section:

● PRECISION: Choose either NORMAL or HIGH from the drop-down menu to specify

whether you want to concentrate on faster or more accurate analysis.

● MODE: Specify, if you want to track just the LOCATION of the object, ROTATION &
LOCATION or even SIZE, ROTATION & LOCATION. The latter options create
ANGLE or ANGLE and WIDTH/HEIGHT keyframes in addition to LOCATION X/Y key-
frames. This can help to improve the accuracy of the tracking but could also intro-
duce mistakes so just experiment with these settings to get the optimum result.
● DIRECTION: Here you define the time direction in which the movement is tracked.
In addition to the preset direction FORWARD, tracking can also be performed
BACKWARDS or in BOTH directions. The advantage is that the reference frame on
which you draw the mask does not have to be at the beginning of the movement
to be tracked, but can be freely selected. So you can choose the frame where the
object to be tracked is best visible, draw the mask there and then select BOTH to
capture the entire motion sequence.
● KEYFRAME INTERVAL: This is the number of frames between two keyframes. The

lower the number is set, the more accurate the tracking. However, this also cre-
ates more keyframes which could make the editing of the animation curve more
complicated.

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Animation control over individual Bézier

mask points
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

You can set keyframes to control the shape and position of a Bézier mask at various times.
As with other keyframes, VEGAS then animates the settings from one point to the next.
With this, you can animate the shape and position of your masks over time.

1 Set up the Bézier Mask

1. Add a video clip with a moving object to your timeline.

2. Open the Video FX window and select "Bézier Masking" from the list of plug-ins.

3. Drag the "Default" preset onto the video event that requires masking.

4. In the Video Event FX window, access the Mask 1 controls by clicking the Mask 1
drop-down arrow.

5. Choose "Curve" from the Type drop-down list.

6. Expand the General Options section and adjust the Blend slider for better visibility
of the object to be masked.

2 Create and edit the Mask

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1. Enable Edit Mode by selecting the Edit Mode checkbox.

2. Use the Edit Tool drop-down list to create a mask by manipulating the points over
the object in the video.

3. Once the mask is completed, disable Edit Mode by deselecting the Edit Mode
check box.

3 Animate the Mask

1. Enable the Animate Curve 1 checkbox to enable animation for the mask.

2. In the animation timeline, ensure the Sync Cursor to Media Timeline option is activ-
ated.

3. Navigate to a later point in the animation timeline where you want to modify the
mask.

4. Enter Edit Mode by clicking the Edit Mode button.

5. Adjust the points and shape of the mask to match the object's movement.

6. Deselect the Edit Mode checkbox when the modifications are complete.

5 Finalize the Mask Animation

1. Adjust the Blend slider to fully mask out the material outside of the Bézier mask.

2. Close the Video Event FX window and play your project from the beginning of the
masked event.

3. Observe the dynamic mask that changes position and shape to align with the
object's movement.

4. If necessary, add additional keyframes to further refine the mask's animation and
improve the alignment with the object's movement.

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Black Restore

Use the Black Restore filter to compensate for irregularities (noise) that can occur near the
black end of the color spectrum. Using Black Restore can give better results when you sav-
ing your movie to a compressed format.

Drag the THRESHOLD slider to set the Black Restore threshold. Any color with an RGB
value less than this value (based on a weighted average) is set to black.

Broadcast Colors

Computer monitors can display sixteen million colors, while televisions display roughly two
million colors. This difference means that through editing video on a computer, you can cre-
ate colors that are out of range for a television display. The visual effects can range from
color variations to noticeable ghosting artifacts.

The Broadcast Colors plug-in can be used to adjust luminance and chrominance values for
media files, events, or tracks where color may be an issue (especially with titles and still
images).

Choose a setting from the PRESET drop-down list or edit the controls as desired:

Item Description

Enter the maximum luminance value, and drag the SMOOTHNESS

Luma: min. slider to control how smoothly luminance values are blended.

Set the slider to 0 to clamp to the value in the MIN box.

Enter the maximum luminance value, and drag the SMOOTHNESS

Luma: Max. slider to control how smoothly luminance values are blended.

Set the slider to 0 to clamp to the value in the MAX box.

Enter the maximum chrominance value, and drag the SMOOTHNESS

Chroma: slider to control how smoothly values are blended.
Max.
Set the slider to 0 to clamp to the value in the MAX box.

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Item Description

Enter the minimum composite luma/chroma value, and drag the

Composite: SMOOTHNESS slider to control how smoothly the composite values
Min. are blended.

Set the slider to 0 to clamp to the value in the MIN box.

Enter the maximum composite luma/chroma value, and drag the

Composite: SMOOTHNESS slider to control how smoothly the composite values
Max. are blended.

Set the slider to 0 to clamp to the value in the MAX box.

7.5 IRE Setup Select this checkbox if you want to set your black to a value of 7.5
as is used in the United States for NTSC video.

Studio RGB Select this checkbox if you want to set your RGB color range from 16
(16 to 135) (black) to 135 (white).

Channel Blend

The Channel Blend plug-in allows you to manipulate the individual color channels in your
video to perform color correction, special effects, channel isolation, or copying the char-
acteristics of one color component to another.

Choose a preset from the PRESET drop-down list or adjust the controls as desired:

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There are four sections for the three color channels red, green and blue channel and the
alpha channel (transparency). In each section, the values of all channels are mixed (added)
together, whereby the channels are multiplied with the setting of the WEIGHTING slider
and thus are included in the calculation to a greater or lesser extent in positive or negative
values. In the last edit box in each section, you can enter an additional OFFSET to boost or
cut the channel overall.

NOTE Select the NORMALIZE checkbox if you want to scale the weights so that their
sum total is 1.

The adjustment of the weightings allows you to mix or exchange color channels. For
example, if you set the weighting for the red channel in the Red Channel section, you can
increase or decrease the red channel. If you adjust the weighting for the red channel in the
green or blue channel section, you can add the red channel to the other channels.

You are only limited here by your own creativity. Below are several examples that show
you the relationship between the controls.

Default setting: no mixing

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FIGURE Source image

By default, in each channel the original channel is multiplied by 1; the other channels are
multiplied by 0 and the offset is set to 0, so there is no mixing and the channels retain their
original values.

Removing red and green channels

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FIGURE Output

All multipliers for the red and green channels are set to 0, removing those channels from
the image. The blue channel is multiplied by 1, and no portion of the red or green channels
is added to blue.

Swapping red and blue channels

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FIGURE Output

In the red channel, the multiplier for red was changed to 0 and the multiplier blue was
changed to 1. The green channel was unchanged. In the blue channel, the multiplier for red
was changed to 1, and the multiplier for blue was changed to 0.

Chroma Blur

Use the Chroma Blur plug-in to blur the chromaticity values (color aspect without bright-
ness) of all pixels in an image.

Chroma blur can smooth high-contrast edges in DV clips and helps create smoother masks
when using the Chroma Keyer or Color Corrector - Secondary plug-ins.y plug-ins.y plug-
ins.y plug-ins.y plug-ins.

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Item Description

HORIZONTAL Drag the slider (or type a value in the boxes) to set the horizontal
PIXELS width of the blur (in pixels).

VERTICAL Drag the slider (or type a value in the boxes) to set the vertical
PIXELS width of the blur (in pixels).

Chroma Key

Chroma key is technology that makes it possible to replace an element of a certain color in
a video with another one. This is primarily used in film and television production, for
example, to remove a background or insert an object into a different scene. Using Chroma
key, you can make a specific colored area in a video transparent and replace it with a new
background. This offers a wide range of options for designing creative effects or removing
unwanted items from your footage.

FIGURE Masked video (on higher track)

FIGURE Background (on lower track)

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FIGURE Chroma Keyer used to make green area in masked video transparent

Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

Color You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use the
eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

The color you select will be keyed out.

Sampling Click on the eyedropper then on the color in the source video (on the
tool: timeline) to determine the transparent key color.

The Chroma Keyer filter creates a mask for each frame.The mask
works similar to an alpha channel.Low Threshold allows adjustment of
Low
the luminance value of the mask.Anything in the mask with luminance
Threshold
values below this setting become transparent.Combined with the
high threshold setting, a range of luminance is created for the mask.

The Chroma Keyer filter creates a mask for each frame.The mask
works similar to an alpha channel.High Threshold allows adjustment
High
of the luminance value of the mask.Anything in the mask with lumin-
Threshold
ance values above this setting become opaque.Combined with the
low threshold setting, a range of luminance is created for the mask.

Blur This controls how the edges of the key mask are treated.High values
amount allow the mask to blend more smoothly into the background video.

Show Mask Generates a mask from the settings in the dialog.This is identical to
Only using the Mask Generator to create a mask.

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Levels

Levels is a correction filter used to control color and brightness (luminosity) in video. By
matching your input source with your output, you can precisely compensate for any dif-
ference and standardize your video signals. This is a very effective method of remapping
the total range of the colors and improving the overall quality of the video.

FIGURE Original FIGURE Levels

Item Description

Select the particular color channel (Red, Green, or Blue) or Alpha

CHANNEL Channel that you want to adjust or adjust all (which is similar to
adjusting the brightness).

INPUT Use the slider to adjust the brightness or luminosity of the colors in
START/END the event as it is captured coming into Vegas.

Use the slider to adjust the brightness or luminosity of the colors in

OUTPUT
the event as it is fed out to a preview monitor or back to a cam-
START/END
corder.

Gamma compensates for difference in brightness between dif-

GAMMA ferent sources and corrects the brightness as viewed on the des-
tination monitor.

Mask Generator

Use the Mask Generator Filter to control the transparency of Video Events that have been
placed in the Mask Roll, but it can also be applied to any Video Event. But it can also be
applied to any video event. The following illustration demonstrates some of the effects of
the Mask Generator. The background image is the original mask. There are five ellipses on
the mask: white, red, green, blue and an invisible Alpha Channel (the broken (dashed) line
ellipse in the lower left of the mask). Alpha Channels can be based on a color or they can
be defined in a paint program that supports Alpha Channel creation. Masks with Alpha

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Channels must be saved in a format that supports this method of transparency, such as
TGA or PNG. As in the following example, the Alpha Channel may be invisible in the actual
Mask.

Item Description

Select the method for determining transparency.

● ALPHA: Use the alpha channel to set transparency.
Type
● LUMINANCE: Use Luminance to set transparency.

● RED/GREEN/BLUE: Select a color to set transparency.

Invert Reverses the transparent and opaque areas in the mask.

Low in Use the two sliders to determine the range of the minimum values of the
High in transparency.

Low
out Use the two sliders to determine the range of the highest values of the
High transparency.
out

Offset and Wrap

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The VEGAS Offset and Wrap OFX plug-in allows you to apply motion effects to your video
images, enabling features like sliding the video in any direction and wrapping the content
from one edge to another. You can also tile or mirror the image for additional special
effects. This tool works excellently in combination with Adjustment events to create mod-
ern and exciting video transitions and other effects.

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Creative Custom Transitions using Adjust-

ment Events, Offset and Wrap, Linear Blur
Adding Adjustment Event

1. Place two video clips on your timeline, ensuring that the second event overlaps
the first event to create a crossfade effect lasting approximately two seconds.
This longer duration will make it easier to observe the results.

2. Choose "Insert | Video Track" to add a new video track.

3. With the newly added video track selected, choose "Insert | Adjustment Event".

4. Reposition the adjustment event so that its center aligns roughly with the center
of the crossfade on the track below.

Applying Offset Plugin and configuring Wrap Modes

1. Click on the "Video FX" tab and select "Offset and Wrap" from the list of plug-ins.

2. Drag and drop the "Default" preset onto the adjustment event.

3. In the "Video Event FX" window, click on the Expand arrow for the "Offset" para-
meter control.

4. Adjust the control within the rectangle to define the desired offset angle. Observe
the changes in the Video Preview window as you modify the angle. The video
wraps around from the right edge to the left as you drag to the right, allowing you
to offset the image center.

5. Move the "Count" slider to reduce the video's size, causing tiled images of the
video to repeat and fill the video frame.

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6. Click the "Wrap Mode" drop-down arrow and set both the "Horizontal Wrap Mode"
and "Vertical Wrap Mode" values to:
● "Off" to create a picture-in-picture effect.

● "Mirror" to observe the effect

● "Repeat".

7. Double-click the "Count" slider to restore it to the default value of 1.0.

Creating Movement

1. Double-click the control to reset it.

2. Click the "Animate" button for the "Offset" value.

3. In the keyframe animation timeline, click the "First Keyframe" button to set the ini-
tial keyframe.

4. Click the "Last Keyframe" button and enter "1.0, 1.0" in the Offset text box or drag
the Angle anchor to the top-right corner of the graph.

5. Place the cursor before the Adjustment event in the main timeline and play the pro-
ject to observe the image moving at a 45-degree angle towards the top right as
the cursor passes through the Adjustment event.

Adding Linear Blur Effect

1. In the Video FX window, select the "Linear Blur" effect from the list of plug-ins.

2. Drag and drop the "45 Degrees" preset onto the Adjustment event.

3. Click the "Animate" button for the "Amount" setting.

4. Create three keyframes in the keyframe animation timeline: one at the beginning,
one in the middle, and one at the end of the keyframe controller timeline.

5. Set the two end keyframe values to "0.0" and the middle keyframe value to "1.0".

6. Play your project to witness the final effect of your custom transition.

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Timecode

The Timecode plug-in allows you to superimpose running timecode over your video
frames. The timecode that will be displayed will match your project time.

Item Description

Timecode Choose a setting from the drop-down list to specify the format that
format should be used for displaying timecode.

Horizontal
alignment Choose a setting from the drop-down list to determine where the
Vertical timecode will be displayed.
alignment

Width Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to set the size of the dis-
Height played timecode.

Transitions

3D Blinds

The 3D Blinds transition reveals a video event as if by opening window blinds. Unlike the
Venetian Blinds transition, each blind is drawn to simulate a 3D effect.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the number of blinds
Sections
the image will be divided into.

Extra Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the number of times
Spins each blind spins during the transition.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the relative position of
the blinds during rotation. Set to 0 if you want the blinds to spin
Stagger
together (like a Venetian blind), or increase the setting if you want the
blinds to appear to spin independently.

Specular Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the intensity of light
Light reflected on the surface of the blinds.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to establish the orientation

Direction
of the blinds and direction of the spinning motion.

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3D Cascade

The 3D Cascade transition reveals a video event as if draping it over the previous event
much like a segmented Page Roll.

Item Description

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the number of folds the
Sections
image will be divided into.

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the angle of the divi-
sions. A setting of 0 is horizontal when the DIRECTION is set to TOP
Twist
TO BOTTOM or BOTTOM TO TOP or vertical when set to LEFT TO
RIGHT or RIGHT TO LEFT.

Specular Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the intensity of light
Light reflected on the surface of the transition.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to establish the orientation

Direction
of the divisions and direction of the transition.

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3D Fly in / Fly out

The 3D Fly-In/ Fly-Out 3D transition reveals a video event by allowing you fly an event in or
out from a point in space that you define. You can rotate the event through its flight and
add specular light reflected on its surface during flight.

Item Description

Far X Pos- Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the horizontal position
ition to (or from) which the event flies out (or in).

Far Y Pos- Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the vertical position to
ition (or from) which the event flies out (or in).

Far Z Pos- Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the distance to (or
ition from) which the event flies out (or in).

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the number of bottom-
Rotations
to-top rotations that will be applied to the event during its flight (top-
(X)
to-bottom rotations if the Fly In checkbox is selected).

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the number of right-to-
Rotations
left rotations that will be applied to the event during its flight (left-to-
(Y)
right rotations if the Fly In checkbox is selected).

Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the number of coun-
Rotations
terclockwise rotations that will be applied to the event during its flight
(Z)
(clockwise if the Fly In checkbox is selected).

Specular Drag the slider or type a value in the box to set the intensity of light
Light reflected on the surface of the event.

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Item Description

Select the Fly In radio button if you want the second event to fly in to
Fly In/Fly replace the first event.
Out Select the Fly Out radio button if you want the first event to fly out to
reveal the second.

3D Shuffle

The 3D Shuffle transition switches two events in a way that simulates playing cards being
shuffled.

Drag the SPECULAR LIGHT slider or type a value in the box to set the intensity of light
reflected on the surface of the shuffled events.

Barn Door

This transition effect is a type of wipe transition. The wipe moves in two direction. Video
transition "barn doors" however, can move in a number of different directions, in or out.

Item Description

Determines the angle of the transition's movement: horizontal or ver-

Orientation
tical.

In: Transition "doors" move inward, from the outside, on the frame.
Direction Out: Transition "doors" move outward, from the middle, on the
frame.

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Item Description

Borders The following three controls modify the border, if any, on the effect.

Size Sets the width of the border.

Feather Determines how smoothly the border fades into the background.

Color Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

Clock Wipe

This effect moves in a circular pattern, either clockwise or counterclockwise.

Original 1

Original 2

Clock Wipe

Item Description

DIRECTION Select CLOCKWISE or COUNTERCLOCKWISE.

FEATHER ANGLE Determines how much of the edge is feathered or softened.

Cross Fade

This transition is a composite effect that uses a crossfade combined with a Zoom, Pixelate
or Blur transition. The following illustration shows a Pixelate Cross Effect where the first
video gradually becomes more and more pixelated, then crossfades into a pixelated
second event, which finally resolves to the second event, thus completing the transition.

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Item Description

Select the type of transition effect to combine with the crossfade:

Effect
NONE, ZOOM, PIXELATE, or BLUR.

Select which events will be processed by the zoom, blur, or pixelate

Apply to
effect: SOURCE (first event), DESTINATION (second event), or BOTH.

Fade Determines the duration of the crossfade that occurs at mid-transition.

range The fade takes place across the entire transition for a value of 1.

Displays the effect's parameter controls that set the transition char-
acteristics:
● When ZOOM is selected from the EFFECT drop-down list, use
the SOURCE CENTER and DESTINATION CENTER controls to
set the center positions of the zoom effect for the source and
destination events. Drag the STEREOSCOPIC 3D DEPTH slider
to adjust the horizontal alignment of the left- and right-eye
Effect Set- views to set the perceived position of the cutout relative to
tings screen depth.
● When PIXELATE is selected from the EFFECT drop-down list,
use the MAX X and MAX Y controls to set the maximum amount
of horizontal (X) and vertical (Y) pixelation that will be applied
during the transition.
● When BLUR is selected from the EFFECT drop-down list, use
the MAX BLUR control to set the maximum amount of blur that
will be applied during the transition.

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Dissolve

Dissolves cause one video event to gradually fade into another video event, with the trans-
parency of one event increasing while the other's transparency decreases until it is com-
pletely opaque. Dissolves involving color can also be used to enhance the effect of the
transition.

Original 1

Original 2

Additive Dissolve

GL Transitions

The GL Transitions project is an open-source development initiative that aims to establish

a universal collection of transitions. The implementation of GL Transitions into VEGAS Pro
opens a world of possibilities for modern transition types. You can simply apply these trans-
itions as presets inside VEGAS Pro, or you can customize transitions and even create com-
pletely new ones of your own.

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How to add one of around 50 existing GL Transition presents:

1. Click the TRANSITIONS tab in the window docking area to bring that window for-
ward.

2. Select GL TRANSITION from the list of transitions on the left.

3. Hover over the various presets on the right to preview them and find the one you
want.

4. To apply a transition preset to your project, drag the preset from the Transitions
window onto a crossfade between two timeline clip events.

5. The different transitions have unique parameters and controls. Adjust the controls
to customize the transition you’ve added.

How to create a new or customized GL Transition

1. Add the Default preset to your timeline.

2. Enter or paste the code for your custom transition (the code must be written in
GLSL) into the code window.

TIP To learn more about the GL Transitions project, visit the GL Transitions website.

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NOTE
Unfortunately, in the initial release of this feature, some users will experience problems
including an “Invalid Shader” message. This is related to CPU usage and some Nvidia
Gfx graphics cards that don’t support OpenCL/OpenGLinterops.

If you experience these problems, you can work around them with this procedure:

1. Right-click the crossfade on your timeline.

2. Choose TRANSITION PROPERTIES from the context menu.

3. Use the PLUG-IN-CHOOSER to add the GL Transitions.

4. Select the preset you want from the Preset drop-down list in the VIDEO EVENT
FX window.

Page Loop

The Page Loop transition creates the appearance of flying one video event in over the next
event on a book page.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to establish the angle and
direction of the page:
● 0º produces a vertical, right-to-left loop.

Paper angle ● 90º produces a horizontal, bottom-to-top loop.

● 180º produces a vertical, left-to-right loop.

● 270º produces a horizontal, top-to-bottom loop.

Paper opa- Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to specify whether the
city paper loop is opaque or transparent.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to specify the radius of
the paper loop:
● 0 produces a flat edge and creates an effect similar to a
Loop radius
wipe.
● 1 produces a soft edge for a loop that takes up the entire
frame.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to set the position of the
loop on the paper:
● 0 positions the loop at the edge of the paper opposite the
Loop position
edge that enters the frame.
● 1 positions the loop at the edge of the paper that enters the
frame.

Drag the slider to scale the looped edge.Drag the slider to the right
Perspective to make the edge appear closer to the viewer.The effect is more
pronounced when using a large LOOP RADIUS setting.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use
Light color the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

The color you select will set the color of the light that is reflected on
the paper loop.

Page Peel

The Page Peel transition creates the appearance of peeling back one video event to reveal
the next event.

Item Description

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to establish the angle
and direction of the peel:
● 0º produces a vertical, right-to-left peel.

PEEL ANGLE ● 90º produces a horizontal, bottom-to-top peel.

● 180º produces a vertical, left-to-right peel.

● 270º produces a horizontal, top-to-bottom peel.

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Item Description

Drag the slider to specify the radius of the peeled edge:

● 0 produces a flat edge and creates an effect similar to a
FOLD RADIUS
wipe.
● 1 produces a soft edge for a pronounced peeling effect.

Drag the slider to specify whether the edge of the event oppos-
ite the peel is allowed to slide:
SLIDE AMOUNT ● 0 anchors the edge.

● 1 allows the edge to slide toward the rolling edge.

Drag the slider to specify whether the peeled edge is opaque or

PEEL OPACITY
transparent.

Drag the slider to scale the peeled edge.Drag the slider to the
PERSPECTIVE right to make the edge appear closer to the viewer.The effect is
more pronounced when using a large FOLD RADIUS setting.

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or
LIGHT COLOR use the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

The color you select will set the color of the light that is reflected
on the peeled page.

Page Roll

The Page Roll transition creates the appearance of rolling back one video event to reveal
the next event.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to establish the angle
and direction of the roll:
● 0º produces a vertical, right-to-left roll.

ROLL ANGLE ● 90º produces a horizontal, bottom-to-top roll.

● 180º produces a vertical, left-to-right roll.

● 270º produces a horizontal, top-to-bottom roll.

Drag the slider to specify the radius of the rolled edge:

● 0 produces a flat edge and creates an effect similar to a
FOLD RADIUS
wipe.
● 1 produces a soft edge for a pronounced rolling effect.

Drag the slider to specify whether the edge of the event oppos-
ite the roll is allowed to slide:
SLIDE AMOUNT ● 0 anchors the edge.

● 1 allows the edge to slide toward the rolling edge.

Drag the slider to specify whether the rolled edge is opaque or

ROLL OPACITY
transparent.

Drag the slider to scale the rolled edge.Drag the slider to the
PERSPECTIVE right to make the edge appear closer to the viewer.The effect is
more pronounced when using a large FOLD RADIUS setting.

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or
LIGHT COLOR use the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

The color you select will set the color of the light that is reflected
on the rolled page.

Portals

The Portals transition creates the appearance of flying one video event in over the next
event.

Item Description

Type a value in the box to set a seed value that is passed to the
Random Pat-
random number generator to determine the pattern in which the
tern Seed
portals are drawn.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to specify how many
Squares
squares, or portals, you want the transition to create.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to set the maximum
transparency of the squares the transition creates:
Max Trans-
● 0 produces completely transparent squares.
parency
● 1 produces opaque squares.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to set the maximum
Max Offset amount the image in the portals can be offset from their original
position.

Drag the slider or enter a value in the box to set the maximum
amount of scaling that can be applied to the images within the
portals:
Max Scale ● 0 applies no scaling; the image will appear at the same
size in the portal and the original video frame.
● 1 applies the maximum magnification.

Border Size Drag the slider to set the width or the border around each square.

Use the color boxes, drag the RGB sliders, or use the color picker
Border Color
to set the color of the border around each square.

Push

At first glance, Push and Wipe transitions look very similar. In a Wipe transition, a line
moves across the video, revealing the second video, which was always below the first and
is unmoving. In a Push, on the other hand, the second video itself moves onto the screen
as the first one moves off.

Item Description

Select the direction for the transition to progress from: Up Down, Left,
direction
or Right.

Push off The first video pushes the second video off of the screen when this is
previous selected. When not selected, the second video merely slides over the
image first, with the first remaining unmoved.

Borders The following three control the border, if any, on the effect.

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Item Description

size This sets the width of the border.

Feather determines how smoothly the border fades into the back-
Feather
ground.

Color Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

Slide

In this transition event two slides over event one (Slide In) or event one slides away off
screen, revealing event two (Slide Out).

Item Description

Angle Determines the angle of the transition's movement.

Slide in: event two slides in over event one.

direction
Slide-Out: event one slides away off screen.

Borders The following three controls modify the border, if any, on the effect.

size Sets the width of the border.

Feather Determines how smoothly the border fades into the background.

Color Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

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Spiral

This transition uses a circular sliding motion to exchange the events. The events can also
appear to zoom in or out during the transition. The following illustration shows a Spiral Out
effect that zooms out to 0.

Item Description

Determines the number of rotations the transition undergoes before

Turns
the effect is completed.

Determines the level of magnification at the start/finish of the trans-

zoom
ition from 0 (minimum size) to 1 (full size).

Orientation Determines the starting position of the spiral: left, right, up or down.

Determines the direction of the circular component of the spiral

Movement:
motion: counterclockwise or clockwise.

Spiral In: event two spirals in from the outside, covering up event
one.
direction
Spiral out: event one spirals away towards the center, revealing
event two.

Borders The following three controls modify the border, if any, on the effect.

size Sets the width of the border.

Feather Determines how smoothly the border fades into the background.

Color Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

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Split

One of the transitioning events is split apart into four sections and gradually cover, or
reveal, the other event. The illustration uses Split Mode Squeeze and Direction: In.

Item Description

Determines the central offset of the transition. Drag the circle to move
Center
the center.

Split Possible modes: Push, Wipe, or Squeeze. See the illustration accom-
Mode panying the Linear Wipe transition's explanation for more information.

Out: event one splits to reveal event two.

direction
In: event two slides in and over event one.

Borders The following three controls modify the border, if any, on the effect.

size Sets the width of the border.

Feather Determines how smoothly the border fades into the background.

Color Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

Squeeze

The Squeeze Transition is similar to Push and Linear Wipe. During the Squeeze Transition
however, the entire contents of both videos is visible for the duration of the effect. In the
image below, that transition has progressed almost half way. Each frame has been com-
pressed horizontally and "squeezed" into half of the screen. The second video, coming in
from the left, gradually becomes uncompressed while the first outgoing video is squeezed
until it is gone.

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Original 1

Original 2

Squeeze

Item Description

Select whether the effect will start from the Top or Bottom, Left or
Start
Right, or emerge from the Center either Horizontally or Vertically.

Squeeze When selected, the first video will squeeze the second video off of the
previous screen. When not selected, the second video merely slides over the
image first, with the first remaining undistorted.

Borders Adds a border to the effect.

size Sets the width of the border.

Feather Determines how smoothly the border fades into the background.

Border
Select a color for the border from the color boxes.
Color

Star Wipe

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Item Description

Drag the slider or type a value in the edit box to specify the number
Arms
of arms for the star.

Sets the length of the star arms: drag left to increase the arm length,
Ratio
or drag right to decrease arm length.

Angle Rotates the star within your video frame.

Feather Determines how smoothly the star fades into the background.

Borders Sets the width of the star's border

Border Color Sets the color of the star's border

Center Sets the center of the star within the video frame.

Drag the slider to set the number of concentric stars that will be
Cycles
used to form the transition.

Waveform Choose a setting to establish the direction of the transition.

Flip hori-
zontal Select these check boxes to mirror the star shape in the video
frame.
Flip vertical

Flip hori- Select this checkbox to mirror the star shape on the corresponding
zontally axis. If you're working with a star shape that is not centered in the
Flip vertically frame, you can use mirroring to create multiple star shapes.

Sets the direction of the transition: choose FORWARD if you want

direction the star to grow through the transition, or choose REVERSE if you
want the star to shrink through the transition.

Swap

Event one slides out of the way and changes places with event two which comes to the
forefront.

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Item Description

Direction Determines the initial direction that event one takes during the swap.

Borders The following three controls modify the border, if any, on the effect.

Size Sets the width of the border.

Feather Determines how smoothly the border fades into the background.

Color Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

Venetian Blinds

The Venetian Blinds transition reveals a video event as if by opening window blinds.

Original

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Horizontal Venetian Blinds

Item Description

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to set the angle of your
Angle
blinds: 0 is a vertical blind; 90 is a horizontal blind.

Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to soften the edge of each
Feather
blind: 0 is a hard edge; 1 is the maximum feathering value.

Number Drag the slider (or enter a value in the box) to specify the number of
of Blinds blinds that you want to use.

Warp Flow

This transition creates interesting warping or morphing effects between two different
video clips. The end frame of the first event and the beginning frame of the second event
are analyzed to find similar corresponding points, and additional video frames are syn-
thesized between the actual frames to create a sequence in which the first frame seems to
flow or grow to become the second frame. This can be used for special effects and
sequences with a science fiction feel.

There are no specific parameters to be adjusted in this transition.

NOTE This transition is automatically applied when you perform a Smart Split on a
video event.

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Zoom

The second video appears on top of the first as a point at the beginning of this effect and
gradually expands to cover the entire screen.

Item Description

Drag the circle on the location map to determine the starting

CENTER
point of the effect.

STEREOSCOPIC 3D
In Stereo3D projects you can control the depth of the zoom.
DEPTH

The following three controls modify the border, if any, on the

BORDERS
effect.

SIZE Sets the width of the border.

Determines how smoothly the border fades into the back-

FEATHER
ground.

COLOR Use the color boxes to select a color for the border.

Flash

The Flash transition inserts a camera-like flash between two video events. You can specify
the color of the light.

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Item Description

Horizontal Drag the slider or enter a value in the edit box to specify how much
Diffusion the flash is allowed to diffuse on the horizontal axis.

Vertical Dif- Drag the slider or enter a value in the edit box to specify how much
fusion the flash is allowed to diffuse on the vertical axis.

Color
Use these color controls to select the color of the flash.
Sliders

Click to switch the color swatches from Red, Green, and Blue values
RGB/HSL
to Hue, Saturation, and Luminance.

Sampling Click on the eyedropper then on the color in the source video (on the
tool: timeline) to determine the color of the flash.

Gradient Wipe

The Gradient Wipe transition uses a gradient image as a transition between two video
events

FIGURE Original 1

FIGURE Original 2

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FIGURE Gradient Image

FIGURE Gradient Wipe

Item Description

Flip hori- Select this checkbox if you want to flip the gradient image from left
zontally to right.

Select this checkbox if you want to flip the gradient image from top
Vertical
to bottom.

Select this checkbox if you want to mirror the left half of the gradi-
Horizontal
ent image.

Flip vertically Select this checkbox if you want to mirror the top half of the gradi-
ent image.

Click to choose a gradient image that you want to use as a trans-

Search ition. Grayscale images produce the best results: The transition will
begin in the dark areas of the image and progress to the light areas.

Drag the slider to adjust the transition fade: Drag the slider to the
Threshold
left to create a sharper leading edge between the two video events
Blend
and to the right to create a softer leading edge.

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Item Description

Drag the slider to soften the transition by blurring: Drag the slider to
Gradient Blur
the left to make the transition sharper overall, to the right to make it
smoother.

Select the Forward radio button if you want the transition to begin in
the dark areas of the gradient and progress to the light areas.
direction
Select the Reverse radio button if you want the transition to begin in
the light areas of the gradient and progress to the dark areas.

Select this checkbox if you want to maintain the aspect ratio of the
gradient image. When the checkbox is selected, the gradient image
Maintain will be scaled proportionally to fit your project frame, and the edges
Aspect Ratio of the gradient may be cut off. When the checkbox is cleared, the
gradient image is stretched to fill the frame, which can distort your
gradient.

Select this checkbox if you want to adjust the contrast of gradient

images to ensure that the gradient has at least one all-black pixel
Auto Con-
and one all-white pixel. When this checkbox is not selected, your
trast Stretch
transition may not begin and end on the first and last frames of the
transition.

Iris

Use the Iris Transition to select a default shape for the transition as it grows from one
Event into another.The shape can be repeated in rows and columns and surrounded by a
border.The transition may be used as a mask to create a video window by using keyframe
animation techniques to freeze the transition.

Original 1

Original 2

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Iris transition

(Shape=Triangle, Border =.03, Repeat X=2) =2))

Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

COLOR
You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or
use the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Enter the coordinates for the center of the effect into the text
boxes or drag the circle on the position map to the desired loc-
ation.

Click the arrow to show or hide the center controls.

Perform any of the following actions to set the center of the iris
effect within your project's video frame:
CENTER
●
Drag the point in the position box:
● Type coordinates in the position box.0.00, 0.00 rep-
resents the lower-left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50
represents the center, and 1.00, 1.00 represents the
upper-right corner.

Drag the slider to adjust the horizontal alignment of the left-

STEREOSCOPIC
and right-eye views to set the perceived position of the video
3D DEPTH
relative to screen depth.

SHAPE Sets the shape of the Iris.

Select the direction to make the iris appear as if it is closing to

DIRECTION
the or opening during the transition.

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Item Description

Determines how smoothly the border fades into the back-

FEATHER
ground.

BORDERS Determines the size of the border in pixels.

REPEAT X: The number of times the shape is repeated across

REPEAT X the image from left to right (columns)

REPEAT Y REPEAT Y: The number of times the shape is repeated from

top to bottom (rows).

Linear Wipe

Use the Linear Wipe Transition to proceed from any angle across the screen. Set a wider
feathered edge for a less harsh and more smooth transition.

FIGURE Original 1

FIGURE Original 2

FIGURE Linear Wipe

Item Description

Angle Sets the angle of the wipe.

Feather Determines how much of the edge is feathered or softened.

Media Generators

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Checkerboard

The Checkerboard generator can create checked and striped patterns.

Large Tiles Preset

Ridges Preset

Bumps Preset

Item Description

Drag the Width and Height sliders or enter values in the boxes to
Tile dimen- establish size of the tiles that make up your checkerboard.
sions
Select the Square checkbox to force the width and height to match.

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Item Description

Drag the Horizontal and Vertical sliders or enter values in the boxes
Edge blend- to feather the edges of the tiles to create a rounded appearance.
ing Select the Proportional checkbox to force the horizontal and vertical
settings to match.

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

Color 1

Color 2 You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use
the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Drag the sliders or type values in the X and Y boxes to offset your
Grid offset
checkerboard in the frame.

Color Gradient

Color Gradient provides an interesting variety of colored events to be used for back-
grounds behind overlays or graphics with transparency or for fades.

Original

Color gradient

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Original + Color Gradient

Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose the shape of the
TYPE
gradient.

The drop-down list displays the current position of the gradient in

the frame. Click to display an edit control you can use to position the
gradient.

CENTER

You can drag the point in the edit control or type values in the X and
Y boxes to set the position of your control point in the frame. Double-
click the point to reset it.

TIP Hold Ctrl (Windows) or ⌘ (OS X) to adjust the point in fine

increments.

Type a value in the box or drag the slider to adjust the angle of the
ANGLE
line formed by the control points in relation to a horizontal plane.

CONTROL POINT

Type a value in the box or drag the slider to adjust the distance of the
DISTANCE
control point from the center.

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Item Description

The drop-down list displays the current position of the control point
in the frame. Click to display an edit control you can use to position
the point.

POSITION

You can drag the point in the edit control or type values in the X and
Y boxes to set the position of your control point in the frame. Double-
click the point to reset it.

TIP Hold Ctrl (Windows) or ⌘ (OS X) to adjust the point in fine

increments.

Click the color sample to display a color picker, where you can
COLOR
choose the color you want to display at the selected control point.

REMOVE Removes the selected control point.

ADD Adds a new gradient control point.

Credit Roll

Use Credit Roll to add credits to your video project. Enter the text you want to display in
the Credits Text area, and use the Properties and Styles tabs to adjust the appearance of
the text.

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TIP To display text over a video event, place the generated media event on a track
above the video.

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The Credit Roll toolbar

Use the Credit Roll toolbar to add and delete rows, import text and properties, and export
text and properties.

Button Description

Insert a row in the Credits Text pane.

Delete one or more selected rows.

Import credit roll text from a .txt file.

If you've selected rows of text, the selected rows will be replaced with
the imported text. If no text is selected, the imported text will be added
to your credit roll.

TIP
Tips for creating a text file:
● Begin a line with two slash marks to write a comment that will
not be included in your credit roll.
● Precede title text with a space.

● Subitem text does not begin with a space.

● Two-column text does not begin with a space, and the

columns are separated by a Tab character.
● If you need to include leading spaces in an entry, use quo-
tation marks.

Import credit roll text properties from a .xml file.

Export credit roll text to a .txt file.

Export credit roll text properties to an .xml file.

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The Credits Text pane

Click within the ITEM TEXT boxes to type the text you want to display.

To add a new item, click in the <Insert text here> box and start typing. A new row is cre-
ated at the bottom of the credit roll.

TIP Click the STYLE SELECTION BUTTON and choose a setting to adjust
the number of columns that are displayed.

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The Properties tab

Use the Properties tab to control the appearance and placement of your credits in your pro-
ject.

Item Description

Choose SCROLLING CREDITS to create text that scrolls evenly

across the screen.
Effect
Choose TIMED SEQUENCE to create a series of text items that
remain on screen for a period of time.

Drag the yellow boxes or enter values in the LEFT, RIGHT, and TOP
Position
boxes to adjust the position of your credit text on screen.

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Item Description

Choose settings from the drop-down lists to specify how your text
appears on screen.

If you're using SCROLLING CREDITS, you can make your text scroll
Effect Para- from bottom to top or from top to bottom).
meters
If you're using Timed Sequence, you can use the IN and OUT drop-
down lists to control how each text item appears and disappears.
Use the DISPLAY drop-down list to control how many text entries
are displayed at once.

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The Styles tab

Select an item in the Credits Text pane and use the Styles tab to control the appearance
and placement of the selected text.

Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to control the number of

columns that are displayed.
Name This setting has the same effect as clicking the STYLE SELECTION

button in the Credits Text pane.

Use these controls to adjust the typeface, size, color, bold/italic

Font Settings
properties for the selected text style.

Click a button to left-align, center, or right-align the selected text

Snapping
style.

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Item Description

Select this checkbox to automatically adjust the spacing between

Kerning
characters.

Tracking Drag the slider to adjust the amount of space between characters.

Drag the slider to adjust the amount of space above the selected
Space above
text style.

Drag the slider to adjust the amount of space below the selected
Space Below
text style.

Drag the slider to adjust the space between the right and left
columns of credit text.
Center width:
NOTE This control is displayed only when the STYLE
SELECTION button is set to display two columns.

Click to choose the color of the background.

Background If you choose a solid color, the video below your credits will be
Colour obscured. If you choose a transparent color, your credits will be dis-
played over the video.

Noise Texture

You can use the Noise Texture generator to create realistic-looking textures.You can cre-
ate clouds, lava, metal, wood or even a Rorschach pattern if those hours of editing leave
you feeling as if you might need a little analysis.

1. From the NOISE STYLE drop-down list, choose the type of noise you want to cre-
ate.The names of the settings describe the method the plug-in uses to represent
noise in a two-dimensional surface.
Each setting creates a grid of numbers that run from 0 to 1 where 0 represents the
color selected with the COLOR A color picker, and 1 represents the color selected

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with the COLOR B picker.Intermediate values blend the two colors.If your noise
curve goes from 0 to .5 to 0, you'd see a distribution of 100% of color A, a 50/50
blend of colors A and B, and 100% of color A again.

2. Drag the NUMBER OF LAYERS slider to set the number of noise layers that are cre-
ated.Increasing the number of layers creates a more complex noise pattern.

3. Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls, where you can choose the
two colors that will be used in the noise pattern.
You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use the eyedropper
to sample a color from your screen.

4. Drag the FREQUENCY sliders to set the horizontal and vertical frequency of the
noise pattern.You can see frequency as the number of ripples along each axis.

5. Click the arrow to show or hide the offset controls.

1. Drag the OFFSET X and OFFSET Y sliders to shift the noise pattern hori-
zontally and vertically in the frame.

2. Drag the PROGRESS slider to shift the noise pattern forward or back (in sim-
ulated three-dimensional movement) in the frame.

6. Click the arrow to show or hide the noise controls.

1. Drag the MIN slider to set the minimum noise value.Decreasing this setting
increases the range of colors available in your noise pattern; increasing the
setting skews the color distribution toward color A.

2. Drag the MAX slider to set the maximum noise value.Decreasing this setting
limits the range of colors available in your noise pattern between color A and
color B; increasing the setting increases the available range of colors.

3. Drag the BIAS slider to add a constant offset to all noise values in the pat-
tern.Negative values skew the color distribution toward color A; positive val-
ues skew the distribution toward color B.

4. Drag the AMPLITUDE slider to apply a gain to all noise values.Noise values
will be multiplied by this number; negative numbers are forced to 0 (100%
color a), and numbers above 1 are limited to 1 (100% color B).

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5. Drag the GRAIN slider to control how layers are blended.A setting of 0 pro-
duces a smooth blend, and you can increase the setting to create a more
mottled appearance.

Solid Color

Solid Color generates solid colored events to be used for backgrounds behind overlays or
graphics with transparency or for fades.

Click the arrow to show or hide the color controls.

You can use the color picker, type color values (or names), or use the eyedropper to
sample a color from your screen.

Test Pattern

Use the Test Pattern generator, which is a standard color bar pattern, to calibrate your
video output stream.

Other Effects

Deform

Use the Deform effect to stretch, compress, bend, or shear a video event.

FIGURE Original FIGURE Bend Horizontally

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Item Description

Drag the slider to set the amount and direction of deformation: neg-
Amount ative values deform down or to the left; positive values deform up
or to the right.

Select this checkbox if you want to center the video in the frame
Center Image
after deformation.

Click the button and use the color sliders or enter RGB values to
Background
choose the color of the background that will be displayed if your
Colour
video does not fill the entire frame.

Drag a slider to compress or expand the video at one of its edges:

Squeze positive settings compress the frame; negative settings expand the
frame.

Drag the HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL sliders to distort the video

Shear along the horizontal and vertical axes: Negative values distort up
and to the right; positive values distort down and to the left.

Drag the sliders to set the amount and direction of deformation:

Curve Positive values distort in the specified direction; negative values dis-
tort in the opposite direction.

Film Effects

Film effects simulate different types and qualities of film.

Original Film Effects

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Item Description

GRAININESS Simulates the granular appearance of different kinds of film.

TINT Blends the existing color with the color you have specified.

COLOR Controls the tone of the video.

CONVERT TO
Allows you to switch between grayscale and color.
GRAYSCALE

ENABLE When checked, the particle selected in the TYPE drop-down is

PARTICLES used in the video image.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to simulate the type(s) of

TYPE
particles present in the film.

Determines the amount of particles present in the video image.

RATIO NOTE An amount can be set for each type of particle that is
enabled. First, select the particle type from the TYPE drop-
down box, then adjust the amount.

Film Grain

The Film Grain effect simulates the granular appearance of shooting with traditional film.
Use Film Grain when mixing video and film in your project or to match film grain between
film stocks.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or

type a value in the
RATIO box to set the
noise level of the
effect.

Drag the slider or

type a value in the
GRANULARITY box to set the size
of the grain arti-
facts.

Drag the slider to

the left to add
Original Extreme monochrome
CHORMATICITY noise to the
image, or drag to
the right to add
color noise.

Flicker Control

The Flicker Control effect is a sophisticated tool designed to reduce or add flickering in
video clips. This effect can be particularly useful when dealing with footage that has been
affected by artificial lighting or when the video has been captured with a high-speed cam-
era under certain lighting conditions.

Setting Description

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● Reduction

A mode of the Flicker Control that aims to reduce existing

flicker within the footage without specifying the type of
flicker.
Mode
● Addition

A mode of the Flicker Control used when you wish to add

a specific frequency of flicker to the footage, often for
creative effect.

Available under the "Reduction" mode, this setting lets you

choose the method for reducing flicker.
● Temporal blend

A reduction method that blends frames over time to

Reduction reduce flicker. It is an option under the "Reduction Mode"
Mode setting.
● Histogram smoothing

A reduction method that smooths the histogram of the

image over time to reduce flicker. It is an option under the
"Reduction Mode" setting.

Analysis Win- Determines the number of frames the effect analyzes for flicker.
dow It can be set from 1 to 3.

Adjusts the sensitivity of the effect to flicker detection. The range

Sensitivity
is from 0.01 to 3.00.

Targets the flicker reduction to specific tonal ranges:

● All

● Highlights
Type
● Midtones

● Shadows

Flicker Fre- Available under the "Addition" mode, it allows setting a specific
quency frequency for the flicker to target, ranging from 0 to 100Hz.

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Use motion If checked, the effect will compensate for motion within the foot-
compensation age, which can help in improving flicker reduction.

Show mask When enabled, the effect will only show the mask of the areas
only that are affected by the flicker control, useful for fine-tuning.

This button appears when "Histogram smoothing" is selected,

Calculate and it will analyze the footage to apply the effect based on the
calculated values.

Reset Resets the settings for the current mode to their default values.

Glint

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Effect Tab
Item Description

Determines the luminance level of the source material on which the

Threshold Glint effect acts. Higher threshold levels result in less material being
affected.

Adjusts the intensity of the highlights. Higher boost results in longer,

Boost
brighter highlights.

Horizontal Adjusts the length of the highlights extending horizontally. Higher

radius values result in longer highlights.

Vertical Adjusts the length of the highlights extending vertically. Higher val-
radius ues result in longer highlights.

Hue Controls the base hue of the highlights.

Controls the direction and extent of the hue cycle along the highlight
Hue sweep
gradient.

Controls the depth of the hue or color selected. Higher values move
Saturation
the color away from gray to the true color.

Spins the highlights through a 360-degree cycle. Higher values res-

Orientation
ult in clockwise rotation.

Sets the number of streaks emanating from each highlight. Higher

Stripes
values result in more streaks.

Reduce Toggles prefiltering of the source material to reduce unwanted flick-

flicker ering in the output.

Determines whether the source is also displayed in the output of the

Effect only
effect.

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Mask tab
Item Description

Determines if and how the mask is applied. If the mask is Disabled, it will
not affect the output of the effect. If the mask is set to Source, it will affect
Mask the source material before it is passed through the effect.
mode
If the mask is set to Effect, the mask will be applied to the effect only.
Show mask only just displays the mask without the source or the effect.

Determines the shape and properties of the mask. Each mask type has its
own set of property controls.
● Rectangle: Creates a 4-sided mask.

Mask ● Bar: Creates a 3-part mask with a fully opaque center region and
type variably transparent leading and trailing regions.
● Wipe: Creates a 2-part mask with one transparent region and one
opaque.
● Ellipse: Creates an elliptical mask.

Rectangle
Item Description

Adjusts the crispness of the edges of the rectangle. Higher values cre-
Softness
ate softer edges.

Controls the width of the rectangle. Higher values create a wider rect-
Width
angle.

Controls the height of the rectangle. Higher values create a taller rect-
Height
angle.

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Item Description

Corner Rounds the corners of the rectangle. Higher values create corners with
radius larger radii.

Adjusts the position of the rectangle on the x axis. Higher values move
X position
the rectangle from left to right.

Adjusts the position of the rectangle on the y axis. Higher values move
Y position
the rectangle from up to down.

Bar
Item Description

Controls how far across the image the center region of the mask has
Progress traveled. Higher values move the center region from the left to right or
top to bottom depending on the angle of the mask.

Determines how wide the center region of the mask is. Higher values
Width
widen the center region.

Controls the crispness of the mask edges. Higher values create softer
Falloff
edges.

Adjusts the tilt of the bar. Higher values spin the bar through a 360-
Angle
degree cycle.

Leading Controls the transparency of the region to the right or below the bar.
region Higher values make the region more transparent.

Trailing Controls the transparency of the region to the left or above the bar.
region Higher values make the region more transparent.

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Wipe
Item Description

Controls how far across the image the transparent region of the mask
Progress has traveled. Higher values move the transparent region from the left
to right or top to bottom depending on the angle of the mask.

Controls the crispness of the mask edges. Higher values create softer
Falloff
edges.

Adjusts the tilt of the mask. Higher values spin the mask through a
Angle
360-degree cycle.

Controls the transparency of the region to the left or above the bar.
Strength
Higher values make the region more transparent.

Ellipse
Item Description

Controls the crispness of the mask edges. Higher values create softer
Softness
edges.

Width Controls the width of the ellipse. Higher values create a wider ellipse.

Height Controls the height of the ellipse. Higher values create a taller ellipse.

Adjusts the position of the ellipse on the x axis. Higher values move the
X position
ellipse from left to right.

Adjusts the position of the ellipse on the y axis. Higher values move the
Y position
ellipse from top to bottom.

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Gradient Map

The Gradient Map effect maps the colors of your video to the colors of a gradient that you
specify. Black is mapped to one endpoint of the gradient, white is mapped to the other end
of the gradient, and midtones are mapped according to the intermediate control points you
establish in the gradient.

Original Night Vision

1. Create your gradient:

1. Click the ADD A NEW GRADIENT CONTROL POINT button (or double-
click in the gradient) to add control points as needed.

2. Define the gradient by selecting control points and using the RGB sliders or
color picker to set the red, green, blue, and alpha channel for each control
point.

3. c. Drag control points in the gradient display to adjust their distribution as

needed.

2. Drag the AMOUNT slider to adjust the mix of the original and remapped video. A
setting of 0 displays the original video, and a setting of 1 displays only remapped
colors.

3. Select the BLEND or ADD radio button to specify whether the gradient map is blen-
ded with or added to the original video.

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Lens Correction

Straighten out distorted photos or video footage that come from wide angle cameras like
action cams with this plug-in. By setting three factors that characterize the specific dis-
tortion of a lens system you can compensate the typical curvature of straight lines at the
edge of the picture.

The plug-in comes with a comprehensive list of cameras to set the distortion factors auto-
matically, but in case you don't find your camera on the list it is also possible to set the
factors manually.

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Automatic
1. Apply the LENS CORRECTION FX as a media or event effect.

2. Expand the LENS MODEL section.

3. Type your camera name or parts of the name into the field SEARCH FOR.

4. Select your camera model from the FOUND LENSES drop-down menu.

5. The three factors RADIAL DISTORTION K1, K2 ,K3 are set according to the data-
base and the picture is straighten out

NOTE By default the plug-in assumes the center of the distortion is also the center of
the picture. When the picture was cropped before applying the correction the center
can be off-set. If so, move the DISTORTION CENTER to compensate this.

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User defined
If you don't find your lens system in the database, you have to set the distortion factors by
hand

1. Apply the LENS CORRECTION FX as a media or event effect.

2. Click the SHOW DISTORTION check-box. A grid appears in the preview monitor
over the picture that reflects the actual distortion according to the set factors.

3. Align the curved lines that should be straight with the curved lines of the grid by
adjusting the k1...k3 factors.

TIP As a starting point, so that you don't have to start from scratch, you can
enter the focal length from the EXIF data into the search field and select one of
the offered lenses.

4. Deactivate the SHOW DISTORTION option to see the results and repeat from step
2, if necessary.

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Determining lens distorsion with Hugin's

Lens calibration GUI
If you have the camera there with which the images were taken, you can also have the dis-
tortion factors of the lenses determined with an additional open source program.

1. Print out this picture:

2. Make a video of the print-out with the camera, the print-out in the video clip
should be head- on and fill the whole frame.

3. Make a still picture from the video.

4. Download and install the open source software hugin. The software is for stitching
of panorama pictures but it also contains a lens calibration utility.

5. Open the LENS CALIBRATION GUI software that was installed along with hugin.

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1. Insert the picture (ADD...).

2. Enter any value for FOCAL LENGTH and CROP FACTOR.

3. Click the FIND LINES button. If no sufficient number of lines were found,
increase the value for EDGE DETECTION SCALE and/or decrease the value
for MINIMUM LINE LENGHT.

4. Activate the checkboxes for radial distortion A, B and C

5. Click the OPTIMISE button.

6. Select CORRECTED from the PREVIEW drop-down menu and verify that the
lines are straight, if so note the three parameter (a,b,c) for use in the VEGAS
Lens Correction plug-in.

Light Rays

Use the Light Rays effect to simulate rays from a light source shining on an image.

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Item Description

Drag the dot (or enter

coordinates in the X
and Y boxes) to set the
position of the light
light source source. If you're enter-
ing coordinates, 0,0 is
FIGURE Original FIGURE Intense lightthe
rays;top-left corner
light source of center
at bottom
your frame; 1,1 is the
bottom-right corner.

Use the color sliders or

enter RGB values to
Hue
choose the color of the
light source.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to set
Sensitivity
the effect's sensitivity
to darker shades.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to
Level
adjust strength of the
light source.

Select this checkbox if

you want to focus the
Bound light ray effect. Areas
Radius outside the radius you
specify will be masked
out.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to set
Radius X
the horizontal radius of
the effect.

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Item Description

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to set
Radius Y
the vertical radius of
the effect.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to
determine how
Feather
smoothly the light rays
blend in the back-
ground.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to
adjust the transparency
of the light rays and
Fading
bounding radius: a set-
ting of 0 is completely
transparent; a setting of
1 is opaque.

Drag the slider or enter

a value in the box to
Noise
add noise throughout
the effect.

Mesh Warp

Creatively distort your footage, pictures or generated media with the Mesh Warp FX.

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You can quickly distort an image to simulate a perspective view with an 1x1 Mesh Warp .

1. Add the MESH WARP OFX to an event.

2. Adjust the GRID SIZE to the desired number of tiles.

3. In the overlay in the video preview window, adjust the grid points to distort the pic-
ture.

NOTE You cannot change the grid size once you moved any grid point.

4. Double click on a mesh point to reset its position back to the original one. Use
RESET MESH to reset all points.

Parameters Description Range

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determines the number of horizontal

Grid size in X 1-20 (default: 4)
tiles

determines the number of vertical tiles

Grid size in Y (editable if following checkbox is 1-20 (default: 4)
unchecked)

Lock Grid size in X links both grid sizes/ makes a sym- True/ False (default
and Y metrical grid True)

Mesh Warp Elasticity control

The Elasticity control in the Mesh Warp filter enables you to control how much influence a
change in the position of one mesh point has on other mesh points. This can result in more
“organic” image warping.

1. After you’ve set your grid size, adjust the Elasticity slider to the value that gives
you the effect you want.
● Set the value to 0.00 if you want the movement of any point to have no
effect on other points. This matches the behavior of previous versions of the
tool.
● Set the value to 1.0. The adjustment you make affects all other mesh points.
The closer a point is to the one you adjust, the greater the effect on that
point.
Experiment with settings in between 0.00 and 1.00 until you find the value
that gives you the results you want.

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NOTE
With larger values, you begin to pull mesh points—and thus your image—
off of the edges of the live video area. You can avoid this:

1. Click the Refresh Mesh button to reset the mesh.

2. Select the Fixed Border Points checkbox.

3. Set the Elasticity slider to the value you want and make an adjust-
ment to a mesh point. Notice that this time all of the border points
remain unaffected so that no black shows at the edges of your live
video area.

2. In the Video Preview window, adjust one of your mesh points.

3. Click the REFRESH MESH button to reset your mesh.

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Motion Blur

Adding motion blur to your video footage can help make the movement in that footage
seem more natural. While VEGAS Pro has a Motion Blur envelope on the video bus track,
the Motion Blur OFX plug-in gives you more control and enables you to target specific
areas of your footage that you want to blur.

The plug-in works best when you apply it at the timeline clip event level.

1. Click the VIDEO FX tab to open that window and select MOTION BLUR from the
list of plug-ins.

2. Drag the Default thumbnail onto the event that you want to blur.

Choose the setting you want from the QUALITY drop-down list.

Quality Keep in mind that the better the quality, the more processing the
tool requires, so you might start with the default setting of Medium
and see if the results are adequate.

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Choose the option from the Blur Mode drop-down that gives you
the best results:
● Fixed:

Blurs all motion pixels with the same amount, determined

by the Blur Amount setting
Blur Mode
● Adaptive:

Blurs each motion pixels according to a multiplier applied

to each pixel so that potentially different amounts of blur
are applied depending upon the amount of motion for each
pixel

The Motion Threshold settings enable you to specify a range within

which to apply blur:
● Motion Threshold (min):

Motion Specifies the amount of movement (expressed as a per-

Threshold centage) below which no blur will be applied
● Motion Threshold (max):

Specifies the amount of movement (expressed as a per-

centage) above which no blur will be applied

Adjust the Blur Amount slider to add blur to the pixels that fall
within the range you specified with the Motion Threshold settings.
Blur Amount
In real application, you’ll often use fairly subtle motion blur
slider
amounts, but for the sake of discussion, raise this setting to the
maximum value of 20.0 so you can easily see the blur effect.

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You can use the Visualization tools to help you determine exactly
how you want to set your Motion Threshold settings.

Click the Visualization drop-down arrow. Then click the Show Visu-
alization drop-down arrow to reveal three options in addition to the
default option of Off:
● Threshold Optical Flow Field:

Colors represent the amount of motion that occurs on the

various areas of the video:
◉ Color intensity represents the motion magnitude:
○ Black: no motion or the motion falls outside the

range you specify with the Motion Threshold

parameters
Visualization | ○ Medium brightness: moderate motion areas
Show Visu-
○ Bright: areas with highest motion activity
alization
◉ The color represents the motion direction:
○ Red: 0° (vertical motion upwards)

○ Greenish Yellow: 90° (horizontal motion left to

right)
○ Cyan: 180° (vertical motion downwards),

○ Violet: 270° (horizontal motion right to left)

● Blur Mask:
◉ Black: no motion blur

◉ White: at least some level of motion blur

● Highlight Motion Blur Area:

A dark shading indicates areas that are not blurred

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TIP To make the most of these visualizations, use them as reference as you adjust the
Motion Threshold settings. This enables you to include or exclude certain areas of your
video in the motion blur operation. For example, in the figure above you can see that
with the Highlight Motion Blur Area option selected I can use the Motion Threshold
(min)control to exclude the walking woman from the motion blur and apply blur only to
the train.

NOTE Make sure to set the SHOW VISUALIZATION setting back to OFF before you
render your project.

Pinch/Punch

Pinch squeezes the video image in towards its center. Punch expands the image out from
its center. Pinch/Punch is very similar to Spherize; however, Pinch/Punch has a slightly
sharper distortion.

FIGURE Original

FIGURE Pinch FIGURE Punch

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Item Description

Determines the location of the center of the effect. Drag the square
Center
to change the center.

X Sets the center of the effect on the X axis.

Y Determines the center of the effect on the Y axis.

Amount Controls the amount of effect applied to the event.

Horizontal Determines the width of the effect.

Vertical Determines the height of the effect.

When selected, the vertical and horizontal scaling are proportional

Proportional based on the value in the HORIZONTAL edit box. When not selec-
ted, vertical and horizontal scaling can be set independently.

Radial Pixelate

The Radial Pixelate filter allows you to pixelate your video from an established center point.

Original

FIGURE Moderate Radial preset FIGURE Moderate Circular preset

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Item Description

Click the arrow to show or hide the center location controls.

Perform one of the following actions to set the center of the effect
within your project's video frame:

●
CENTER Drag the point in the position box:
● Type coordinates in the position box. 0.00, 0.00 represents the
lower-left corner of the frame, 0.50, 0.50 represents the cen-
ter, and 1.00, 1.00 represents the upper-right corner.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate whether you want
TYPE to pixelate your image in a linear pattern from the center (RADIAL) or in
a series of concentric circles (CIRCULAR).

Drag the slider to establish the amount of pixelation that will be

LEVEL applied: drag left to decrease the effect, or drag right to increase the
effect.

AI Features
In VEGAS Pro, the suite of AI Features is engineered to simplify complex editing tasks and
enhance your projects. These tools range from speech transcription and synthesis to soph-
isticated video effects like colorization and smart masking. They are intended to assist edit-
ors in efficiently managing their workflow and achieving professional-grade results.
Whether you're looking to quickly add subtitles or refine the quality of your footage, the AI
features provide practical solutions to common post-production challenges.

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AI Text to Speech

NOTE This feature requires a VEGAS Pro 365, VEGAS Pro Edit or VEGAS Pro Post 365
subscription. To use this feature, you must first log into your VEGAS Hub account (see
the VEGAS Hub section for more details).

The Text-to-Speech feature in VEGAS Pro allows you to convert text in videos into speech
and add it as an audio file. It provides an efficient way to transform large amounts of text
into speech without the need to hire professional voice actors. With this feature, you can
utilize AI technology to generate computer-generated voices in various languages and
voice options. Additionally, it offers the convenience of translating your narrations into dif-
ferent languages using natural-sounding native voices. Moreover, the cloud-based func-
tionality enables you to seamlessly access new voices and features without requiring a
new software build.

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Converting text to speech

1. Choose TOOLS | TEXT TO SPEECH.

2. In the Text to Speech dialog box, enter the text you want to turn into audio into
the text field.

3. Adjust style

Click on the drop-down list VOICES and select the

Change Voice
desired voice.

Use the slider to decrease or increase the speech

Adjust Speed
speed.

Change Speech For selected voices, you can choose from different
Style voice styles.

Adjust Pitch Use the slider to decrease or increase the pitch.

4. Click on GENERATE SPEECH. The text will be converted and played back.
Now you can save the generated speech as an audio file and import it into your
project.

Saving Audio File to Project

● Click on ADD TO PROJECT MEDIA. The generated audio file will be saved as a
.wav file in your project.
You can access the folder through the PROJECT MEDIAwindow.

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Inserting Audio File into the Project

● Click on INSERT ON TIMELINE. The audio file will be inserted as a new audio event
on a new audio track labeled SYNTHESIZED AUDIO at the current cursor position
in your timeline and automatically saved in the project.

Translating Text

1. Enter text in the text field.

2. Click on the (Translate Text) button.

3. In the displayed dialog box, select the languages:

● Text Language: Language of the entered text

● Translate to: Target language

4. Click on the TRANSLATE button. The text in the text field will be replaced with a
translation in the specified language.

Load text from Titles & Text events into Text to Speech

You can load the text from any Titles & Text event on your timeline into the Text To Speech
tool in order to generate and audio file for that text.

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1. Click the event that holds your Titles &Text generated media to select it.

2. In the Text to Speech dialog box, click the Load text from existing event button.
This loads the text from the Titles & Text event into the Text to Speech text input
field.

3. Preview the audio and make any changes you need.

Using SSML input mode

SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) is a markup language designed specifically

for controlling the output of text-to-speech (TTS) systems. It allows for detailed instruc-
tions to format and style the spoken language, such as emphasizing certain words, con-
trolling pause length, or changing speech speed.

SSML provides a set of tags that can be embedded within the text to indicate how it should
be pronounced or delivered. These tags provide control over various aspects of speech
synthesis, including prosody, pronunciation, volume, and more.

For more information, see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cognitive-ser-

vices/speech-service/speech-synthesis-markup

EXAMPLE
SSML Example

<speak version="1.0" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/10/synthesis" xml:lang="string">

<voice name="en-US-ChristopherNeural" effect="eq_car" role="YoungAdultMale" >
Welcome <break strength="medium" /> to text to speech.
<p>
<prosody rate="slow">This is a sentence that will be spoken slowly.</prosody> <pros-
ody rate="fast">This is a sentence that will be spoken quickly.</prosody>
</p>
<p>
<break time="1s"/>A pause of 1 second is inserted here.<break time="1s"/>
</p>
</voice>
<voice name="en-US-JennyMultilingualNeural" style="assistant">
<lang xml:lang="en-US">
Enjoy using the feature!
</lang>
<lang xml:lang="de-DE">
Viel Spaß beim Benutzen des Features!
</lang>
</voice>
</speak>

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AI Speech to Text
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The Speech to Text tool enables you to analyze the audio held in timeline clip events and
automatically add subtitles to your project timeline or as text files. You can correct mis-
takes in the generated text and manipulate the appearance of the subtitles in your project.

The Speech to Text feature also includes text-based editing tools. With these tools, you
can use the Speech to Text feature to create a transcript of your project video and then
edit the transcript - for example, delete a section of text, cut and paste text, etc.—and
VEGAS Pro will automatically edit the events on your timeline to match the edits you made
in the transcript. The reverse is also possible. For example, if you cut an event on the
timeline, VEGAS Pro will automatically edit the transcript to match. This workflow can
greatly speed up your editing process.

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EXAMPLE
● Editing Interview Footage: Transcribe interviews and use the text-based edit-
ing tools to quickly remove unwanted sections. This can save time by allowing
you to edit the transcript directly rather than scrubbing through the video.
● Creating Subtitles for Educational Videos: Generate subtitles for educational
content. This helps in making the content more accessible and allows you to
edit and correct the transcript before finalizing the subtitles.
● Creating a Lyric Video: Use the Speech to Text feature to transcribe the lyrics
from a song. This can be particularly useful for creating lyric videos where the
text needs to sync perfectly with the music. Simply add the song to your
timeline, generate the transcript, and edit as needed.
● Documenting Meeting Notes: Transcribe audio from meetings to create accur-
ate notes and minutes. This can be useful for ensuring all important points are
documented and can be reviewed later.
● Creating Accessible Content: Generate transcripts and subtitles for video con-
tent to make it accessible to viewers with hearing impairments. This improves
the inclusivity of your content.
● Vlogging and Podcasts: Transcribe spoken content from vlogs or podcasts to
create searchable text, which can improve SEO and help viewers find specific
segments of your content more easily.

Open the Speech to Text tool

1. Add an audio or video file that contains someone speaking.

TIP You can also try the feature with music. Depending upon the type of music
and how “out front” the vocals are, you may have good luck turning those
vocals into text so you can then make, for example, a lyric video for your song.

2. Click the audio event to select it and choose TOOLS | SPEECH TO TEXT to open
the window.
This window now has three view modes and it opens by default into the Transcript
view.

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NOTE The window lists all of the audio events in your project. If you have many
audio events in your project, you may have more listed here than you need or
want. To see just the event you want, click it in the timeline to select it. Click
the SHOW SELECTED EVENTS button. Now only the event (or events if you’ve
selected more than one) appears in the list.

Generate text from the audio file

1. Select the Analysis Target:

Source Analyzes the entire original media file, regardless of what por-
Media tion is used on the timeline.

Timeline Analyzes only the selected event on the timeline, focusing on

Event the specific segment used in your project.

2. Click the LANGUAGE drop-down list and choose the correct language.
The drop-down list contains all of the currently supported languages. The default
language setting is AUTO DETECT. For most files spoken in English and several
other languages, you can leave this set to Auto detect and the tool does a nice job
of accurately identifying the spoken language. If the tool has trouble identifying
the language spoken in your file, click the Language drop-down list and choose
the correct language.

3. Once you’ve specified your Language setting, click the ANALYZE button.
A progress bar indicates the progress and the PREVIEW section shows the text as
it’s being generated. When the process completes, the generated text appears in
a list in the Preview area.

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4. When you find errors, you can easily correct them here similarly to how you would
correct text in a word-processing document. With all your corrections complete,
you’re ready to move on.

You can now do either or both of two things with your transcript: perform text-based edit-
ing and create subtitles.

Find and Replace

You can search for incorrect spelling and replace it.

Enter the word or phrase you want to search for in the tran-
Find text box
script.

Replace text box Enter the word or phrase you want to use as a replacement.

Case sensitive Check this box to make the search case sensitive.

Check this box to find only whole words that match the
Whole words only
search term.

Previous Occurrence Navigate to the previous instance of the search term.

Next Occurrence Navigate to the next instance of the search term.

Replace this Occur- Replace the currently highlighted instance of the search
rence term.

Replace all Occur-

Replace all instances of the search term in the transcript.
rences

Clear Clear the text in the "Find" or "Replace" text boxes.

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Analyze all Process the entire transcript for analysis.

Text-Based Editing

You can edit your timeline simply by editing the transcript in Text-based editing view
mode. For instance, say you want to edit out the last sentence of the narration from your
project. Instead of making the edit on the timeline where you need to listen and make note
of exactly where the sentence begins, you can simply delete the text from the Text-based
editing window. Time code values before each line of text identify the exact times in your
project timeline that generated subtitle events will span.

» Choose TEXT-BASED EDITING from the VIEW list.

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Select this button and choose a mode from the drop-down list
to automatically ripple the contents of the timeline following an
edit after adjusting an event's length, cutting, copying, pasting,
1 Auto-Ripple
or deleting events.

For more information, see Post-edit ripple (p. 307)

2 Pauses Click to turn the pause value displays on or off in your transcript.

● Show pauses longer than:

Adjust the slider to specify a length threshold for the

pauses you want indicated in the text view.
● Show file name:
Additional
3 Toggling this on would display the name of the audio file
settings
currently being transcribed.
● Show time code:

When this is checked, the event time codes will be dis-

played.

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Selecting Text in the Transcript

● Click on the first word of the desired sentence to highlight it and observe the play-
back cursor move to the matching audio in the timeline.
● For a full sentence selection, hold the Shift key and click the last word; this action
selects the entire range of text and the associated segment in the timeline.

This method works for text selection anywhere in the transcript, whether at the beginning,
middle, or end.

Deleting Text and Corresponding Audio

● With the desired text selected, press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Observe as the selected text is removed from the transcript and the cor-
responding audio is deleted from your timeline.

You can quickly go through your text and delete portions you don’t want. If you’ve deleted
something and later decide that you want it back, trim the timeline event to bring it back to
the timeline. The text automatically updates to reflect the edit you’ve made.

This demonstrates that you can edit the text and also see the changes on the timeline, or
edit the timeline and see the changes to the text.

Rearranging Text and Timeline Events

1. In the Text-based editing window, click to select a word or a range of words you
want to rearrange.

2. Right-click on the highlighted text and choose "Cut" from the context menu to
remove it from the current position.

3. Move to the new location in the transcript where you want to insert the cut text.

4. Right-click and choose "Paste" from the context menu to insert the text at this
new position. The timeline will automatically adjust, moving the associated audio
to match the rearranged text in the transcript.

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Creating subtitles

Once you’re done with all of your edits (using either the timeline or the Text-based editing
window), you’re ready to generate subtitles.

1. Choose SUBTITLES from the VIEW drop-down list.

VEGAS Pro has already broken your transcript up into subtitles of reasonable
length. These are listed along with the timecode of when the subtitle appears and
disappears. Any edits you made in the transcript and Text-based editing view also
appear here in subtitles view.

2. Control the look of your subtitles on the right.

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The Subtitles text preset has been chosen by default, but

you can use the drop-down to choose any other preset. If
Title preset you’ve previously created a custom preset for your subtitles,
it will appear in this list. Choose it from the list to apply it to
your subtitles.

Max char-
Use the Max characters per line slider to set the length of
acters per
your subtitle lines.
line

1 Line / 2 Select the appropriate radio button depending upon whether

Lines you want one-line or two-line subtitles.

3. With all of these settings in place, click the GENERATE TITLES button.
VEGAS Pro creates Titles & Text events on a new track in your timeline.

If you’ve generated a new subtitle track, the tool creates a new text event for each of the
subtitles in your list. These events are standard Titles & Text events, and you can edit them
however you need to. For instance, if the text doesn’t line up perfectly with the spoken
audio, you can move the text event to line it up properly. Or you can trim either edge of the

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event to make it last longer or shorter. You can open the generator and make corrections
or adjustments to the text. In short, any edit you would normally make to a text event on
your timeline you can make here to perfect your subtitles.

Exporting Subtitles

Export your subtitles as an SRT file (SubRip file format), which is a common subtitle file
format used for sharing and displaying subtitles across various media players and plat-
forms.

AI Colorization
With the Colorization effect it is possible to automatically recolor black and white film
material. An AI-supported algorithm determines the most likely colors within the two color
dimensions red green and blue yellow.

Black and white Colorized

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If the image is better exposed, the color prediction works better,

so you can optimize the brightness. You can also specify whether
Luminance
the enhanced luminance should be applied to the material (APPLY
enhancement
TO OUTPUT) or only used to improve color prediction
(ESTIMATION ONLY - DO NOT APPLY TO OUTPUT).

The precision of the color application can be defined in four dif-

ferent levels: LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, or MATCH INPUT SIZE. The lat-
Precision ter uses the full resolution of the original image for color
prediction, the others use a more or less downscaled version of
the image.

The following parameters are used to adjust the overall coloring of the image. All para-
meters can be automated in order to react to changing light conditions in the film material.

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The assignment of determined color attributes in the red-

Invert Green and Red
green channel is swapped.

Invert Blue and Yel- The assignment of determined color attributes in the blue-
low yellow channel is swapped.

Shift between Green The colors in the Red-Green channel are shifted towards red
and Red or green.

Shift between Blue The colors in the Blue-Yellow channel are shifted towards
and Yellow blue or yellow.

Gain on Green and Control of the strength of the colorization in the red-green
Red channel.

Gain on Blue and Yel- Control of the strength of the colorization in the blue-yellow
low channel.

AI Smart Mask 2.0

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

This feature uses AI to identify objects in your video and accurately mask them. You can
create up to eight separate masks and apply tracking to them so that the masks follow
along with objects in the video even if they’re moving. This can help you replace back-
grounds without having shot in front of a green screen and has many other potential use
cases.

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1 Detection

1. Add a video to your timeline that has one or more distinct objects that you’d like to
mask.
As you’re experimenting with this feature, it’s a good idea to use a very short sec-
tion of video since the AI calculations you need to do later can take a good deal of
time, even on a fast computer. If you’re using a long video, trim the timeline clip
event to just 10 seconds or so to limit the time required as you learn this tool.

2. Click the VIDEO FX tab and select AI SMART MASK 2.0 from the list of plug-ins.

3. Drag the Default preset onto the timeline clip event that holds the video you want
to mask.

4. Click the beginning of the event to place the cursor at that point.

5. Select a PRECISION from the dropdown list.

For the highest quality, leave the Precision setting at HIGH, but for faster pro-
cessing you can choose LOW.

6. Click the ANALYZE CURRENT FRAME button to identify maskable objects in the
analyzed frame.
Note that if you want the plug-in to analyze whatever frame you click on, select
the AUTO ANALYZE CURRENT FRAME checkbox. Be aware though that this can
slow you down as you’ll have to wait for new analysis every time you switch the
active frame.

2 Mask Generation and Adjustment

1. Use the MASK drop-down list in the plug-in window to select which of the eight
available masks you want to work with.

2. In the VIDEO PREVIEW window, click an object in your video that you want to
mask.
Colored shading covers the material included in the mask, and a colored bounding
box surrounds the masked object.

3. Use the toolbar in the VIDEO PREVIEW window to create and refine masks:

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● To move the bounding box, drag it from any edge.

You can drag it to more adequately cover your target object, or

to target a different object altogether.
● To adjust the mask, drag any corner point of the bounding
box.
As you make the box larger or smaller, you affect exactly what
gets masked.
● To resize the box vertically or horizontally without affecting
the other dimension, hold the Shift key as you drag any edge
of the box.
Keep adjusting the size and position to achieve the best mask.
● Include material

In some cases, parts of the object you want to mask may not
be included in the mask even though they are within the bound-
ing box:

1. Click the ADD OR REPOSITION POINTS button.

2. Now, click the object you want to add to the mask. This
gives the plug-in more information to use in creating the
mask.

3. Drag the point if you need to improve the results further.

You can also add additional points to refine things even
more.
● Exclude material

If there is an object included in the mask that you don’t want to

mask:

1. Click the ADD AND REPOSITION NEGATIVE POINTS

button.

2. Then click on the object you want to remove from the

mask.

3. You can drag these negative points to new locations for

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optimal results and add more negative points as needed.

● Remove points

1. Click the REMOVE POINTS button.

2. Click the point you want to remove.

TIP Back at the top of the plug-in window, select the VIEW MASKING RESULTS check-
box. Now you can see the mask's effects on your video. Toggle this checkbox on and
off to make adjustments and evaluate your results.

FIGURE Masks FIGURE Activated VIEW MASKING RESULTS checkbox

In many cases, you won’t need to adjust the bounding box at all to get the results you’re
after. You'll notice that an object doesn’t necessarily need to be fully within the bounding
box to be included in the mask. Likewise, part of the object may fall outside of the bound-
ing box, yet still be included. In general, it’s best to make the bounding box as large as pos-
sible while still limiting the masking to just your target object, especially if the object is
moving fast or erratically. The larger you make the box, the better chance you have that
the object will stay within the box throughout all of its movements.

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Multi-Object Masking

While technically you can add points outside of the bounding box to add a different object
to the mask, this will likely not give you the best results. It’s usually more effective—and
less work—to use separate masks to mask distinct objects.

If you have more than one object in your frame that you want to mask:

1. Click the MASK drop-down list in the plug-in window and choose another mask
from the list.

2. Now repeat all the instructions above to create the new mask.

Remove a mask

1. Select the mask from the MASK drop-down list in the plug-in window.

2. Click the CLEAR CURRENT MASK button.

3 Animate the mask

Once you’ve established the mask you want, you’ll most likely want to animate the mask to
follow any motion of the object in your video. You can use the AI Smart Mask’s motion track-
ing tools to accomplish this automatically or create the tracking manually.

Automated tracking

The first step to animating with the automatic tools requires tracking the object’s move-
ment.

1. Set the DIRECTION drop-down list to the direction you want to track.
Assuming you used the first frame of the event to create your mask as we pre-
viously talked about, leave this set to Forward.

2. Click the MOTION TRACKING button.

This analyzes all of the frames in your video and adjusts the mask accordingly.
You won’t see this happen, but when it’s finished, you’ll notice new keyframes in
the keyframe controller area.

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3. Use the cursor in the keyframe controller area to scrub through the timeline.
In the VIDEO PREVIEW window you see the mask bounding box move along with
the object. Scrub through the timeline and check your bounding box at several
sample points—the keyframes that have been created are good frames to check
for starters—to make sure the box has accurately tracked the object.

4. Adjust if necessary.
If you find a frame where the object seems to have drifted outside of the box, use
the techniques discussed above to resize and reposition the box to more accur-
ately contain the object. You could check the entire video one frame at a time, but
it’s often not necessary to do that. Spot checks at several frames throughout the
video could very well be enough to ensure the results you want.

5. Click the COMPLETE MASKING button.

The AI will go through each frame of video in your event, analyze it, and create
your mask.

NOTE Again, be aware that this can take a good deal of time—even on fast
computers—since the AI needs to analyze each individual frame and create a
mask for it.

6. Review the results.

When it’s done, you’ll see a keyframe in virtually every frame of the keyframe con-
troller area. Play your project, and you’ll see that your mask now follows the
object. To see the results, remember to select the View Masking Results check-
box.

Manual Mask Animation

You don’t always have to let the plug-in complete the masking for you. Sometimes, the res-
ults will be nearly what you need, but just a bit off here and there.

1. In the keyframe controller area, position the cursor on a frame that needs adjust-
ing, even if it sits between two keyframes.

2. Adjust the mask bounding box so that it covers your object. This inserts a new key-
frame at that point.

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3. Click the end of the timeline and again adjust the box if you need to. Do this for as
many frames as you feel is needed.
If you’d rather do the process completely manually, click the CLEAR KEYFRAMES
button.

4. Click the ANIMATE button. You can now manually add as many keyframes as you
need.

5. Click the COMPLETE MASKS button to finish the process.

Mask Refinement

You can use the controls in the MASK REFINEMENT section to further control the masking
results.

If you want to remove the object that you masked instead of everything
Invert
else, select the INVERT checkbox.

To spread your mask a bit wider or choke it a bit narrower, adjust the
Resize
RESIZE slider for the amount you want.

If the edges of your mask seem harsh, adjust the FEATHER slider to
Feather
soften them.

Auto Select the AUTO FEATHER button to have the tool choose the feath-
Feather ering for you.

Each of these Mask Refinement parameters are automatable, so you can fine tune things
over the course of your video.

To animate any of these:

1. Click the parameter’s Animate button.

2. Move to different frames in the keyframe controller area and adjust the para-
meter. This creates a new keyframe and interpolates the frames between key-
frames as in other OFX plug-ins.

Recreate the masks

Click the Clear Masks button. This removes all of the masks, but preserves the keyframes
you’ve already set.

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Keyframe Controller Area

FIGURE AI Smart Mask 2.0 - Keyframe Controller Area

The top lane holds master keyframes. If one or more keyframes appears in the
1
lanes below, a master keyframe appears here.

The MASK lane, indicates which frames have a mask that has already been
generated. If you’ve clicked the COMPLETE MASKS button, each frame of
2
your video now has a mask and thus each frame contains a red keyframe in
this lane (as well as a corresponding master keyframe in the lane above).

The POINTS lane shows keyframes at every frame for which a bounding box
3
and/or points have been set or modified.

The CURRENTLY ANALYZED frame lane, uses a red dot to indicate which
frame is currently analyzed. This indicates that this frame will receive updated
4
mask data as you modify bounding box and point data. Only one frame can be
analyzed at one time.

Post-Mask Adjustment

When finalizing your mask, you might discover the alignment deviates slightly across cer-
tain frames. Here's how to correct any drift and ensure a consistent mask throughout your
video.

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1. Identify drifting frames.

Keep an eye on the Video Preview window as you scrub through the keyframe
timeline until you see a problem area where the mask drifts off the object.

2. Select problematic keyframes.

Click above the red keyframes in the Mask keyframe track and drag through the
timeline until you’ve selected all the problem keyframes.
Use the mouse wheel to zoom in if you need a more detailed view of the keyframe
track.

3. Delete unwanted keyframes.

Press the Delete key to delete all the keyframes within the selection area.

4. Adjust and create new keyframes.

Still in the Mask keyframe track, click one of the frames that needs correcting.
In the Video Preview window, adjust the bounding box so it includes the entire
object again.
A new keyframe is automatically created in the Points track.

5. Repeat corrections.
Do this for every frame that no longer has a Mask keyframe.

6. Reapply masks.
If you’ve deleted a large range of keyframes, you may not need to create cor-
rections at each frame.
When you’re done, click the Complete Masks button.
The plug-in creates a new mask for each frame that does not already have one, so
this processing won’t take as long as processing the entire video as long as you’ve
deleted just a range of the Mask keyframes.

AI Style Transfer
The AI STYLE TRANSFER effect is a video manipulation effect that transfers the style of
drawings or paintings to the video using an AI algorithm.

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Small Worlds 1
Original
(Kandinsky) style

NOTE As with all AI plugins in VEGAS Pro, you must install the VEGAS Deep Learning
Models package on your system for this effect to work.

1. Add the Style Transfer effect to an event in your timeline.

2. Select a style under STYLE. Under DETAILS, you specify how detailed the style
transfer should be. More details generate correspondingly more calculation effort.

Custom Reference for Style Transfer

The CUSTOM REFERENCE STYLE SOURCE option enables you to use any image as the
style source that you want to transfer to your video image.

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1. Click the item from the REFERENCE STYLE options list that corresponds to the
source you want to capture the reference image from.

Load a file into your Trimmer window, then select this option
Trimmer:
to apply the characteristics of that file to your footage

Copy information to your Windows clipboard, then select this

Clipboard: option to apply the characteristics of the clipboard inform-
ation to your footage

Click this button and navigate to an image file stored on your

File: computer drives to apply the characteristics of that file to
your footage

Click this button, then drag the selection rectangle around

any area of your computer screen (including the entire
Screen:
screen) to apply the characteristics of that area to your foot-
age

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Place your timeline cursor within an event on your timeline so

that it shows in the Video Preview window and then click this
Preview:
button to apply the characteristics of that image to your foot-
age

2. Once you’ve specified your reference source, adjust the DETAIL LEVEL slider to
dial in the exact effect you want. Higher values give more detailed results at the
expense of longer processing time.

AI Upscale
The VEGAS Pro AI Upscale effect enables you to convert low-resolution video to higher res-
olutions. For example, you can apply it to HD footage so that you can use it in a 4k project.
You can also use it to zoom in on video and preserve apparent resolution. Through the
power of AI, VEGAS Upscale produces superior quality upscale and zoom effects.

Step 1: Install the VEGAS Deep Learning Models

Like the other AI-powered effects in VEGAS Pro, in order for the Upscale effect to work
properly, you must first install the VEGAS Deep Learning Models. Follow the link that you
received with your VEGAS Pro purchase to download the Deep Learning Models installer.

Step 2: Drag the AI Upscale effect to the left of Pan/Crop in the plugin chain

When you add the VEGAS AI Upscale effect as a timeline clip event effect, a warning mes-
sage informs you that you must drag the Upscale effect to the left of Pan/Crop in the plugin
chain. To change the order, drag the UPSCALE button at the top of the VIDEO EVENT FX
window to the left and drop it before the PAN/CROP button, as you see in the image below.

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Step 3: Adjust upscale level

Once you’ve properly ordered your effects chain as discussed above, a SCALING slider
appears.

Use as a video event effect:

When you use the VEGAS Upscale effect as a video event effect, the Upscale plugin auto-
matically upscales the video to your project's resolution as defined in Project Settings, so
this slider remains inactive since you don’t need it. But it does tell you the value of the auto-
matic setting, as you can see in the image.

Use as a media effect:

If you use the plug-in as a media effect, the slider becomes active and you can adjust it to
whatever upscale level you choose.

1. Drag on the crosshair icon in the CUTOUT section to pan through the image. Use
the arrow keys on your keyboard for fine adjustments.

2. Adjust the ZOOM slider to zoom in and out of your image with the crosshair icon
as the target for the zoom midpoint.

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3. To enter exact values for position and zoom, select the values in the CUTOUT text
field and enter the values you want. The first two numbers represent the X and Y
coordinates of the crosshair target and the third value represents the current
zoom level.

4. To enable animation of these settings, click the ANIMATE button.

AI Z-Depth
Creative Effects with VEGAS AI Z-Depth
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

AI Z-Depth, also known as the Z-Buffer, is a fundamental concept in computer graphics

and video editing. It represents the depth or distance of objects from the camera's view-
point in a 3D scene. It allows you to create depth-based composites, add depth of field
effects, and achieve realistic visual enhancements in your videos.

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EXAMPLE
Application and Examples
● Depth-based Compositing:

Z-Depth can be used to position objects in a 3D scene and create realistic com-
posites. For example, texts or graphics can be placed behind certain objects
while appearing in front of others within the same video.
Example: In a cityscape video, text or graphics could be placed in front of back-
ground buildings while appearing behind a person or a moving car in the fore-
ground.
● Depth of Field Effects:

Z-Depth can be utilized to produce depth of field effects in a video, where the
foreground is in focus while the background appears blurred.
Example: In an interview video, the background of the interviewee could be
blurred to draw focus to the person and what they are saying.
● 3D Integration:

Z-Depth enables the integration of 3D objects or effects into a 2D scene to

achieve realistic visual results.
Example: In a commercial video, a 3D logo could be integrated into a real-
world scene, aligning it according to the Z-Depth settings.
● Masking and Compositing:

Z-Depth can be used for masking specific areas of a video or placing objects in
front of or behind other elements.
Example: In a green screen video, Z-Depth could be employed to replace the
background with another video or a 3D scene, placing the foreground person
in front of this new background.

Using AI Z-Depth as a Compositor

Place some text between two layers of objects in a video.

1. Add a text event to the first track of your project.

2. Place a video clip or still image directly below the text event.

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TIP To make this easier to demonstrate, try to find a clip that has an obvious
foreground object and background objects. For instance, maybe a person
standing in the foreground with buildings in the background.

3. Position the text to overlay the foreground object in the video.

4. Click the MORE button for track 1 and CHOOSE COMPOSITING MODE |
CUSTOM from the pop-up menu.

5. In the PLUG-IN-CHOOSER window, select Z-DEPTH from the list of compositors.

6. Click the ADD button, then OK.

7. Refine the Mask

Z-Depth has analyzed your video frame and created a foreground layer and a
background layer. Anything on the foreground layer appears to be in front of the

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text you added, while the background layer elements are behind the text as nor-
mal. This creates the illusion that the text sits between the layers. In actuality, the
text has been masked out, or cut away around the foreground objects.

Z-Depth uses the ABSOLUTE VALUES option as the

default.
»Mode« drop- Choose NORMALIZED VALUES from the list you may
down list notice a slight change in the results you see in the VIDEO
PREVIEW window. The Normalized Values mode makes it
a bit easier to understand what’s going on with Z-Depth.

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»Visualization« The Visualization options give you different ways to look

drop-down list at the depth map you are creating.

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Z-Depth identifies the object it has analyzed as the fur-

Furthest: thest away from the camera and assigned this object a
value of 0.000

Z-Depth identifies the object it has analyzed as the

Nearest: nearest to the camera and assigned this object a value of
1.000

Specifies the furthest depth to consider when identifying

Depth In:
foreground elements

Specifies the nearest depth to consider when identifying

Depth Out:
foreground elements

The Invert checkbox reverses the effect of the depth

map.
For instance, if you have text that currently covers back-
»Invert« check-
ground elements but not foreground elements, select the
box:
Invert checkbox. Now your text covers foreground ele-
ments but not background elements. Deselect the check-
box again.

»Nearest If you want to consider only the nearest objects in the

object only« depth mask in your results, select the Nearest Object Only
checkbox: checkbox.

8. Finalize the Composition

● Choose NONE from the VISUALIZATION drop-down menu to remove the
visual overlay.
● Observe that portions of the text are now masked out, appearing behind the
foreground objects.
● Adjust the parameter controls further if needed, and consider using the
Feathering control for smoother results.

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Add Z-Depth as a video filter to create interesting effects

You can also add Z-Depth as a video filter to create interesting effects.

EXAMPLE For instance, you could use a blur filter along with Z-Depth to create a blurry
background for a shallow depth-of-field effect. You could use it along with the Color
Grading panel or other color adjustment tools to color grade just the background
without affecting the foreground. Or use it along with the Style Transfer AI filter to cre-
ate a surreal effect behind your focus object. You can add virtually any effect you want
for correction or special effect purposes.

Let’s experiment with Style Transfer:

1. Add a clip to the timeline.

TIP Choose a clip that has something in the background with a prominent fore-
ground object out front.

2. Open the VIDEO FX tab and select Z-DEPTH from the list of plug-ins.

3. Drag the NORMALIZED VALUES preset onto the timeline clip event.

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The Video Preview window shows that the plug-in uses black to represent the
foreground objects that it has identified, while background objects are white.

4. Adjust the parameter controls to get the white areas as tight around your fore-
ground object or objects as possible.

5. You can also select an option from the VISUALIZATION drop-down for different
views into what’s going on.

6. Once you’re happy with your results, set the Visualization to NONE.

7. Choose a STYLE TRANSFER preset from the VIDEO FX window and drag it onto
the clip event.

8. In the VIDEO EVENT FX window, drag the STYLE TRANSFER effect in the effects
chain and drop it between the Pan/Crop and Z-Depth effects.

9. Click the Z-DEPTH effect in the effects chain and select the MASK EFFECTS but-
ton.

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This creates a sort of composite image in which the foreground objects appear
with the Style Transfer effect on them while the background images appear nor-
mal.

10. To switch it so the background elements have the Style Transfer effect, select the
INVERT checkbox.

11. Customize the Mask Effects for the Z-Depth effect to refine the composition.

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TIP
Enhance Dimensionality with Z-Depth and Displacement Map

When working with z-depth mattes, consider using techniques like the "Displacement
Map" to achieve dimensionality, allowing for walkthrough and layer isolation FX. By
leveraging the "Displacement Map" plugin, you can create visually impressive dis-
tortions and effects that add depth and realism to your projects.

For more information, see Displacement Map

AI Dehaze
This AI-assisted plug-in analyzes your video for hazy elements like smoke, fog, smog, and
other similar effects, removing them to create a clearer and crisper image of your main
video element.

EXAMPLE
● Enhancing outdoor footage affected by fog or smog.

● Improving visibility in videos taken in smoky environments.

● Clarifying underwater videos with haze.

1. Find a clip that has fog, smoke, haze, or some similar problem that obscures the
subject of the video and add it to a VEGAS Pro project.

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2. Click the VIDEO FX tab and select AI DEHAZE from the list of effects.

3. Drag the DEFAULT preset onto the timeline clip event that holds the hazy video.
It may take a little while for the tool to analyze your video.

4. Experiment with the three different settings in the DETAILS drop-down list to see
which one gives you the best results.
Keep in mind that changing these settings can cause a reanalysis and that can
take a bit of time.

5. Click the ARTIFACT REDUCTION arrow and increase the GAIN to amplify the
video’s intensity and make the image brighter.

6. Raise the OFFSET to try and bring more detail out in your video or lower it to
“crush” the blacks a bit and make the detail in the dark areas less prominent.

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Settings

FIGURE Effect with 1.0 Amount

FIGURE Effect with max. value of Amount, Gain, and Off-

set

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Preset Select predefined settings for the effect.

Details Choose the level of detail for the dehazing process.

Amount Control the intensity of the dehazing effect.

Artifact Reduction Option to reduce artifacts caused by the dehazing.

Gain Adjusts the strength of the artifact reduction.

Offset Fine-tunes the artifact reduction process.

AI Sharpen
Driven by AI, the AI Sharpen tool analyzes the edges of objects in your video and enhances
them to give the image a crisper, clearer look. The enhancement can be used to improve
your video’s clarity or as a special effect to give your video an unnaturally crisp appear-
ance.

EXAMPLE
● Enhancing the clarity of slightly out-of-focus footage.

● Improving the definition of edges in low-resolution videos.

● Applying as a special effect for an unnaturally sharp look.

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FIGURE Split-screen view: Original image | maximum sharpness

1. Add a clip to your timeline. To see the results clearly, it can help to experiment
with a video that has many fine lines, like hair or the fur of an animal.

2. Click the VIDEO FX tab and select AI SHARPEN from the list.

3. Drag the DEFAULT plug-in onto the timeline clip event. It will take the AI some
time to analyze your video. With analysis complete, you might instantly see the
results.

4. Adjust the amount of sharpening applied using the AMOUNT slider or input box.

5. Compare the different settings under the DETAILS drop-down to see which works
best for your video. It can take some time for the AI to analyze your video before
you see the results.

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Preset Select predefined settings for the effect.

Details Choose the level of detail for the sharpening process.

Amount Control the intensity of the sharpening effect.

AI Smoothen
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

You can use this AI-driven tool to soften small details in your video while preserving sharp
edges. This can result in a cleaner, more stylized look where fine details are smoothed out,
but edges remain clear.You can use a small amount to give your video a subtly softer
appearance or a large amount to create more of a special effect on your video.

EXAMPLE
● Softening harsh edges in portrait videos for a smoother look.

● Creating a dreamy or ethereal effect in artistic video projects.

● Reducing the clarity of background elements to emphasize the foreground.

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FIGURE Split-screen view: Original image | maximum smoothing

1. Add a clip to your timeline. To see the results clearly, it can help to experiment
with a video that has many fine lines, like hair or the fur of an animal.

2. Click the VIDEO FX tab and select AI SMOOTHEN from the list.

3. Drag the DEFAULT plug-in onto the timeline clip event. It will take the AI some
time to analyze your video. With analysis complete, you might instantly see the
results.

4. Adjust the amount of smoothing applied using the AMOUNT slider or input box.

5. Compare the different settings under the DETAILS drop-down to see which works
best for your video. It can take some time for the AI to analyze your video before
you see the results.

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Preset Select predefined settings for the effect.

Details Choose the level of detail for the smoothening process.

Amount Control the intensity of the smoothening effect.

AI Auto Reframe
This AI-assisted tool automatically reframes your video when the delivery size of your final
render does not match the original aspect ratio. For instance, if you have a standard
widescreen video and need to deliver it in a square format for Instagram or other channels,
this tool shifts focus to the most important object in the video and keeps it centered in the
new frame size while other material is cropped out.

EXAMPLE
● Adapting widescreen videos to square formats for social media.

● Ensuring the main subject remains in focus during aspect ratio changes.

● Automating the reframing process for quick delivery.

There are a couple of different approaches to using this tool.

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Automatic Reframing During Render

Use the feature during the render process and let the AI make all the cropping/panning
decisions automatically.

1. Open or create a standard 16:9 HD project.

2. Open the Render As dialog by choosing File | Render As.

3. Choose your preferred format from the Formats list (e.g., MAGIX AVC/AAC MP4).
This technique will work with any of the listed video formats.

4. From the Templates list, select a delivery format that matches the properties of
your file and click the Customize Template button.

5. On the VIDEO tab of the CUSTOM SETTINGS dialog box, choose (Custom Frame
Size) from the FRAME SIZE drop-down list.

6. Set both the WIDTH and HEIGHT settings to the same value, e.g. 1080 for a
square final render.

7. Click OK.

8. Back in the Render As dialog box, set your save location, give your file a name,
and select the Render with AI Auto Reframe checkbox.

9. Click the Render button.

10. View the resulting file and evaluate your results.

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Manual Control Using Video FX

Use the manual control for critical projects to ensure the best results.

1. Click the Video FX tab.

2. Click AI Auto Reframe from the list of effects and drag the Default preset onto
the Video Preview window to add this effect to the video output.
This enables you to control the reframing for the entire project.

TIP
You can also add the effect at any of the other effect levels for even finer indi-
vidual control.

For instance, you can add it as an event effect to each event that you feel you
need it on while leaving it off events where you don’t need it.

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Settings

Dialog Element Explanation

Preset Select predefined settings for the AI Auto Reframe effect.

Add Reframing Button to add the AI Auto Reframe effect to the video.

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Dialog Element Explanation

Remove Reframing Button to remove the AI Auto Reframe effect from the video.

Choose whether to preview the effect for a specific aspect

Show Preview for
ratio.

Aspect for Preview Displays the aspect ratio used for the preview.

Checkbox to enable the AI to follow the main subject in the

Follow subject
video.

Adjust the smoothness of the camera movements while fol-

Smoothness
lowing the subject.

Allow manual
Checkbox to allow manual adjustments of the frame center.
manipulation

Frame center Coordinates to manually set the center of the frame.

Button to apply the AI reframing based on the current set-

Reframe
tings.

Button to reanalyze the video for the main subject and adjust
Reanalyze
the frame accordingly.

Project Aspect
Button to set the aspect ratio to match the project's settings.
Ratio

Animating video events and tracks

Using animation in VEGAS® Pro, you can pan and crop video, add motion to still images to
create a Ken Burns effect, or animate a video track as an overlay.

Keyframe animation
Use keyframes to animate and adjust precise movements, effects and other properties for
objects.

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A keyframe is a single frame in an animation that serves as an essential reference point

(start or end point). Various keyframes are set when an animation is created to define
movements and changes during the animation process. Intermediate values for the frames
are calculated by interpolating the settings. This creates smooth transitions between key-
frames. If you want to add further effects or make other changes, you can add more key-
frames to create complex animations. Object properties are set for each keyframe.

The Keyframe Controller is displayed at the bottom of Video FX, Video Media Generators,
Track Motion, and Transition dialogs and is used to add and remove keyframes and control
the FX parameters for individual keyframes.

TIP You have to click at least one ANIMATE button next to the FX parameter control
to display the keyframe controller. Some older Video FX have only one ANIMATE button
below the FX user interface.

1 Keyframe

2 Cursor position

Each effect in a video effects chain can have its own keyframes.

Adding a keyframe

1. Select the object in the timeline to animate.

2. Open the Video Event FX window.

3. In the Keyframe Controller, click to position the cursor where you want to add a
keyframe.

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4. Click the INSERT KEYFRAME button . A keyframe is added to the Keyframe

Controller timeline.
The new keyframe's attributes are copied from the previous keyframe to allow you
to make subtle changes without recreating all your settings.

TIP To quickly add a keyframe, double-click on the Keyframe Controller

timeline, or position the cursor on the timeline and modify your effect para-
meters.

Removing a keyframe

1. Select a keyframe by clicking it.

2. Click the DELETE KEYFRAME button .

Navigating between keyframes

To jump to the next or previous keyframe, click the PREVIOUS KEYFRAME and NEXT

KEYFRAME buttons (or press Ctrl+Left Arrow or Ctrl+Right Arrow).

To jump to the first or last keyframe, click the FIRST KEYFRAME or LAST KEYFRAME
button.

Copying a keyframe

Right-click the keyframe and choose COPY from the shortcut menu. The keyframe and its
settings are copied to the clipboard.

TIP Hold the Ctrl key while dragging to copy a keyframe.

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Using keyframe animation to modify an effect

Keyframe animation can be used to smoothly and gradually modify an effect. For example,
if you wanted to gradually fade an event to black and white, you could use the Black and
White effect to create two keyframes. The first keyframe would use the RESET TO NONE
preset, and the second keyframe would use the 100% BLACK AND WHITE preset. During
playback the event would start playing in color and gradually fade to black and white.

1. Add an effect to an event or track. For more information, see Adding video
effects (p. 513)
The Video FX window is displayed.

2. Click the ANIMATE button to display the keyframe controller at the bottom of
the window.

3. In they keyframe controller, click to position the cursor where you want the effect
to start.

TIP Select the SYNC CURSOR button to synchronize the cursor positions
on the main timeline and Keyframe Controller timeline.

4. Click the INSERT KEYFRAME button .

5. Adjust the effect attributes as desired.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 to add a keyframe for each effect parameter change.
During playback, the effect will smoothly transition through the attributes you
established for each keyframe.

Changing the interpolation curve between keyframes

The interpolation curve determines the rate of animation between two keyframe settings.

For event pan/crop and track motion keyframes, the color of the keyframe indicates which
interpolation curve is being used.

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Looks
Command Description
Like

LINEAR
Effect parameters are interpolated in a linear path.

FAST
Effect parameters are interpolated in a fast logarithmic
path.

SLOW
Effect parameters are interpolated in a slow logarithmic
path.

SMOOTH
Effect parameters are interpolated along a smooth, natural
curve.

SHARP
Effect parameters are interpolated along a sharp curve.

HOLD
No animation will take place. The keyframe's settings will
be maintained until the next keyframe.

In the Lanes view of the Video FX dialog or in the Pan/Crop or Track Motion dialog, you can
right-click a selected keyframe and choose a command from the shortcut menu to change
the interpolation curve. The curve type is updated for all selected keyframes.

For video effects, the line between keyframes indicates which interpolation curve is being
used.

In the Curves view of the Video FX dialog, you can manually adjust a keyframe's spline
curves. Click the LANES/CURVES button to toggle between Lanes and Curves views.

Right-click a keyframe and choose MANUAL from the shortcut menu to display the spline
curve handles. Drag the handles to adjust the curve.

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Right-click a keyframe and choose SPLIT MANUAL from the shortcut menu to inde-
pendently adjust the curve on each side of the keyframe.

Moving keyframes

After you've set your keyframes, you may need to adjust their positions along the timeline.
Drag a keyframe to a new position in the Keyframe Controller timeline to change its pos-
ition.

Hold Ctrl or Shift while clicking to select multiple keyframes. A selected keyframe is dis-

played as , and an unselected keyframe is displayed as a .

TIP Hold Alt while dragging the first or last keyframe in a group of selected keyframes
to adjust their spacing equally.

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Adjusting track-level keyframes

If you're using video track effects or track motion, keyframes will be displayed in the
timeline below your video track. You can drag keyframes to adjust their position, add and
delete keyframes, and change the interpolation curve between keyframes.

TIP Select the LOCK ENVELOPES TO EVENTS button to lock track-level keyframes
to the events on the track. When keyframes are locked, you can move events along the
timeline, and their associated keyframes move with them.

Click the EXPAND/COLLAPSE TRACK KEYFRAMES button in the track header to toggle
the height of the track keyframes. When expanded, a separate row is displayed for each
keyframed item.

NOTE Event-level keyframes are not visible in the timeline.

Adding track keyframes

1. Click the EXPAND/COLLAPSE TRACK KEYFRAMES button .

2. Double-click to add a keyframe to the track view. The keyframe will use the same
settings and interpolation curve as the previous keyframe.

Moving track keyframes

Drag the keyframe to a new position in the timeline. If track keyframe rows are collapsed,
overlapping keyframes will move together.

TIP To move multiple keyframes, select the Envelope tool and create a time selec-
tion that includes the keyframes you want to move. When you drag, all keyframes in the
time selection will move together.

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Changing the interpolation curve between keyframes

The interpolation curve determines the rate of temporal interpolation: the rate of motion
between two keyframes. To change the interpolation curve, right-click a keyframe and
choose a command from the shortcut menu:

NOTE If you want to adjust spatial interpolation—how motion occurs within a video
image—change the SMOOTHNESS setting in the Event Pan/Crop or Track Motion dia-
log. A SMOOTHNESS setting of 0 produces linear motion from one keyframe to the

next. Increasing the setting produces a curved path. For more information, see Pan-
ning and cropping video events (p. 247) and Editing track motion (p. 416)

Looks
Command Description
Like

HOLD
No animation will take place. The keyframe's settings will
be maintained until the next keyframe.

LINEAR
Effect parameters are interpolated in a linear path.

FAST
Effect parameters are interpolated in a fast logarithmic
path.

SLOW
Effect parameters are interpolated in a slow logarithmic
path.

SMOOTH
Effect parameters are interpolated along a smooth, natural
curve.

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Editing track keyframes

Individual keyframe parameters cannot be adjusted in the track view. To edit a keyframe,
open the effect's property page.

1. Click the EXPAND/COLLAPSE TRACK KEYFRAMES button to expand track key-

frame rows.

2. Double-click a keyframe to open its property page. For more information about
using an effect, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

Motion Tracking
With Motion Tracking it is possible to select a screen area and detect the motion in this
area in the scene. The detected motion can be used in various ways. So, for example you
could use it to let a masked pixelate effect follow someones face to anonymize it or attach
a hat on someones head.

To track motion in a video event:

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1. Select the event and open the MOTION TRACKING dialog window. You can open it
from the TOOLS menu | VIDEO | MOTION TRACKING, the event's context menu,

MORE button or with the keyboard shortcut Alt + M.

CLIP NAME: The Motion Tracking panel can stay

open all the time, so it is important to see, what
event is actually being tracked.
MASK: In the list box, you can select from all
regions that are to be tracked or contain motion
tracks.

To add a region, click the + button .

To remove the currently selected region, click the -

button .

The motion track import menu is only shown if a

Bézier Mask or Picture-In-Picture FX is applied to
the clip from which motion can be imported.
TRACK OUTSIDE MASK: Inverts the mask so the
non-masked area of the frame is processed. (When
the mask is outside the frame, the whole frame is
processed then)

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PRECISION:Choose from three different precision

options - Fast, Balanced or Accurate - which rep-
resent different trade-offs between processing
time and precision.
MODE: Select the type of movement to be determ-
ined
● LOCATION: x/y position Shift detection

● ROTATION & LOCATION: detection of pos-

ition Shift and rotation
● SCALE & LOCATION: detection of position
Shift and scale changes
● SHAPE & LOCATION: detection of affine trans-
formation (all of the above + shearing)
● PERSPECTIVE: detection of perspective
transformation.
SHOW MOTION VECTORS: This shows detected
motion vectors. This is particularly helpful when
the tracked motion goes wrong because it shows
which motion the algorithm is actually detecting
(and which not)

NOTE The motion vectors are not persistent and

will not be stored in the project file.

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MOTION TRACK INDICATOR: Green segments indic-

ate frames with motion data.
STATUS BAR: Below the Motion track indicator is a
status bar, that gives information about the suc-
cess of the tracking or how and why thetracking
had to stop.
TRACK BUTTONS: You control the tracking pro-
cess with the track buttons. Starting from the play
cursor position you can track forward (5), in both
directions (3) or backwards (1). Then the tracking
goes in the specified direction until the clip border
was reached or the mask was lost. You can also
manually track frame-by-frame with the track one
frame forward (4) or backward (2) button.
MOTION TRANSFER MENU: (6) This button opens a
multi-level menu in which you can select a target
Event FX to which the mask motion is to be trans-
ferred. The top level contains all suitable target
events, these are the event itself and any other
event that shares time positions with the tracked
event. On the second level all suitable FX on these
events are shown and you can also add a Bézier
Mask FX there. The third level contains all FX para-
meters that represent location data.

2. Click the ADD MASK button . On the Preview window, a rectangle is displayed.
It defines the area of the screen where the algorithm tries to detect movement.

3. Place the play cursor at a time position where the object to be tracked is clearly
visible and adjust the corners of the mask to ensure that the moving object is
enclosed by the MASK as completely as possible, with as little background as pos-
sible.

4. Click the TRACK BOTH DIRECTIONS button (3) to start the tracking. If everything
went fine, the movement is tracked from the start to the end of the object. Quite
often however, the tracking will stop at some point in the video, if for some reason

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the mask can no longer track the movement.

5. Then you could adjust the mask frame and track the motion frame-by frame with
the Track one frame forward (4) or backward (2) button. Or you could move the
play cursor to some other point in the video, adjust the mask there and start the
tracking again.

6. When the tracking was successful (the motion track indicator is mostly or com-
plete green) you can transfer the motion data to an effect on another event. Click
the Motion transfer menu button (6) and select the event, the effect and the para-
meter that should use the motion data.

Remarks:

● The tracking data are event envelopes. When they are transmitted from the

tracked event, their timing is relative to the event. For example, if you track the
movement in a clip and transfer it to a graphic on the track above with a picture-
in-picture effect so that the graphic follows the moving object, the event with the
graphic must not be moved in time afterwards, otherwise the tracking data will not
be correct.
● The Motion Tracking feature is no longer part of the BÉZIER MASKING FX. To use

BÉZIER MASKING with Motion Tracking, track the motion data and create the
Bézier masking FX from the TRANSFER MOTION DATA MENU
● You can track different moving objects in the same event by using several masks.

Import Mocha Tracking Data

1. To import the motion tracking data from Mocha into VEGAS Pro, first export the
data from Mocha in the Silhouette Corner Pin format, if you’re exporting tracking
data, and the Mocha shape for AE format if you’re exporting shape data.

2. In VEGAS Pro, click the MORE button on the event to which you want to apply
motion tracking. Choose MOTION TRACKING from the menu.

3. In the MOTION TRACKING window, click the MASK drop-down arrow and choose
IMPORT FROM MOCHA from the list. Navigate to the location where you saved the
Mocha tracking data you exported, select that file, and click OPEN.

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The Mocha tracking data is now imported into the VEGAS Pro motion tracker and you can
use it just as if you had generated that data inside VEGAS Pro.

Mocha Vegas

This version of the Mocha motion tracking tool has been developed by Boris FX specifically
for use in VEGAS Pro. You can invoke the software from inside VEGAS Pro and perform all
the sophisticated motion tracking that this industry-standard tool offers. Once you’ve cre-
ated the tracking data inside Mocha, you can easily transfer that data to the VEGAS Pro
Motion Tracking tool and apply it to your project in all the normal ways. You can also apply
the tracking data to the Stabilization tool in VEGAS Pro for great video stabilization results.

For more information about Boris FX Mocha Pro click here.

Adding Mocha VEGAS to your project

Mocha VEGAS is an OFX plug-in, so use all the normal techniques to add it to your project.

1. Place your cursor at the beginning of the event on your timeline, for instance, to
add it to an event on your timeline that needs tracking.

2. Click the VIDEO FX tab.

3. Select MOCHA VEGAS from the list of plug-ins.

4. Drag the DEFAULT preset onto the event.

5. In the VIDEO EVENT dialog box, click the LAUNCH MOCHA UI button.

This starts the Boris Mocha application and it opens with your clip already loaded
into it. Now you can use all the deep tools of Mocha to create your tracking.

Performing Motion Tracking

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1. Create a quick mask over the object you want to track. Tip: To keep things simple
for this training, use the Spline, Rectangular, or Elliptical tool.

2. Click the Track Forward button to start the tracking process.

When tracking is complete, notice that you have a layer in your Layers list.

3. Rename that layer if you want to.

4. Choose FILE | SAVE PROJECT to save your work.

5. Choose FILE | EXIT to close Mocha.

Applying Tracking Data in VEGAS Pro

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1. Bringing Tracking Data into VEGAS Pro

● In the VIDEO FX window, click the Expand arrow for the TRACKING DATA
section.
● Click the CREATE TRACK DATA... button.

● Select the layer you created back in Mocha from the LAYER CONTROLS dia-
log box and click OK.
You can now see the calculated tracking data in the plug-in.

2. Creating a Matching Mask in VEGAS Pro

● Click the CREATE MASKS... button to add a Bézier Masking plug-in to your
FX chain to create a mask in VEGAS Pro to match the tracking mask you
made in Mocha. You can see in the VIDEO PREVIEW window that the mask
has been applied.

3. Adding effects
Say you want to obscure the object you track, like a face, for instance.
● From the VIDEO FX window, select Pixelate from the list of effects.

● Add one of the presets to your effects chain in front of the Bézier Masking
plug-in.
● Adjust your pixelization settings until you’re happy with the results.

● In the Bézier Masking plug-in, expand the General Options section and
select the Mask Effects checkbox.
You now have a pixelated, tracked ojbect. Play your VEGAS Project to see
the results.

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Exporting Tracking Data

You can also send the Mocha tracking data to the VEGAS Pro Motion Tracking tool.

1. In the Mocha VEGAS plug-in, click the APPLY EXPORT button.

This applies the tracking data to the VEGAS Pro Motion Tracking tool and opens
the Motion Tracking dialog.
If you followed the instructions above, you already have a Bézier mask listed in
the Mask list.

2. Click the drop-down arrow and choose Mocha 1 from the list.

3. Click the Motion Track Transfer Menu drop-down to specify how you want to
apply your motion tracking.

Inserting Subtitles
Subtitles are text overlays on a video that translate or transcribe the spoken dialogue, mak-
ing content accessible to a wider audience. They cater to viewers who may not understand
the original language or are hearing impaired, enhancing their viewing experience.

Add subtitles to your video by:

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● Importing them from a TXT or CSV file.

● Creating regions and converting them into subtitles.

● Utilizing closed caption features to add subtitles to video files.

● Automatically generate subtitles in multiple languages using the AI Speech to Text

(p. 710) feature.

Inserting subtitles from a file

To import text to the timeline, for instance as subtitles for video clips, choose INSERT
SUBTITLES FROM FILES from the INSERT menu. This opens the INSERT SUBTITLES dia-
log:

1. Click the BROWSE button to open a file, you can use the TXT or CSV file format:
● If you use a simple .txt file containing only the desired subtitles, a title event
is created from every line in the file. The events start from the beginning of
the project and have a default length of 5 seconds each.
● If you want to place the text precisely with the right time positions and
length, then you can use the .txt or .csv format. The CSV format is a simple
database format, where one record is one text line with values stored in text
format, separated by commas (hence the name csv, comma separated val-
ues). If you use a .txt file, separate each chunk of information with tabs. In
this case, each line in the file must be in the following format: "Timecode
Start, Timecode End, Timecode Length, Subtitle Text". The Timecode has to

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be formatted as hh:mm:ss;ff (hh:hour, mm:minutes,ss:seconds, ff:frames)

when your project timeline format is set to the default SMPTE Drop (29.97
fps Video) setting.

2. Choose the text preset that you want to use for the title events from the PRESET
drop-down list . When you select the USE CURRENT PRESET AS DEFAULT
option, the chosen preset becomes the default that will be used when you use this
function in the future.

3. When you click OK, the dialog is closed and a new track is created as the top track
in your project, and contains the title events with the text from the file.

Inserting subtitles from regions

You can also create subtitle from named regions in the project:

1. Select the time span where a subtitle should be created and press the R key.

2. A new region is created and a text entry field is shown for the region to name it.
Enter your subtitle content here.

3. Repeat step 1 and 2 for all subtitles you want to create.

4. Choose INSERT SUBTITLES FROM REGIONS from the INSERT menu. This opens
the INSERT SUBTITLES FROM REGIONS dialog:

5. Choose the text preset that you want to use for the title events from the PRESET
drop-down list . When you select the USE CURRENT PRESET AS DEFAULT
option, the chosen preset becomes the default that will be used when you use this
function in the future.

6. When you click OK, the dialog is closed and a new track is created on topmost in
the track list containing the title events with the text from the Region names.

Adding closed captioning to video files

Closed captions help make your video productions accessible to a wider audience. Closed
captions are widely used by viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, those who are learn-
ing to read, or who are learning a second language.

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Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer (unlike open captions, which are
always displayed). Closed captions display spoken dialogue and sound effects as on-
screen text.

NOTE
● VEGAS Pro supports CEA608 captions and CEA708 containers containing
CEA608 captions.
● When rendering to XDCAM HD/HD422, CEA608 data is uplifted to CEA708
format so that CEA608 and CEA708 captions are available when playing via HD
SDI. CEA608 CC1 is uplifted to CEA708 Service 1, and CEA608 CC3 is uplifted
to CEA708 Service 2. Please note that caption positions can be slightly dif-
ferent after uplifting to CEA708.
● When you render to a format that does not support embedded captioning mark-
ers, an .SCC file is created using the base name of the rendered media file.

Importing or rendering closed captions in an MXF or MPEG-2

file

Importing captions

VEGAS Pro supports closed captioning embedded in XDCAM HD/XDCAM HD422 MXF and
MPEG-2 files. ATSC and SCTE formats are supported when reading captions in MPEG-2
files.

When you add media to the timeline or Trimmer, embedded captioning markers are dis-
played as media markers:

Markers are aligned with the start of captioning for paint-on captions or with the display
time for pop-up style captions.

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When the captioning markers are read, VEGAS Pro creates an .SCC file in the media file's
folder using the same base name as the media file. The .SCC file is used when you use the
media in the future so the application doesn't need to scan the media again.

When you're finished editing your project, you can promote the embedded captioning mark-
ers to the timeline:

1. Select events with captions.

2. From the Tools menu, choose SCRIPTING, and then choose PROMOTE MEDIA
CLOSED CAPTIONING.
The markers appear as command markers on the timeline, and you can move and
edit the markers as needed:

Rendering captions

You can export captions in rendered media and in standalone .SCC files.
● When you render to XDCAM HD/XDCAM HD422 MXF formats, captioning markers
are embedded in the media file. An .SCC file is also created using the base name
of the rendered media file.
● When you render to MPEG-2 format, captioning markers are encoded in ATSC
format.
● When you render to a format that does not support embedded captioning mark-
ers, an .SCC file is created using the base name of the rendered media file.

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Importing or rendering Line 21 closed captions

Importing Line 21 captions

VEGAS Pro reads embedded Line 21 captions when you import a media file with a frame
size of 720x486 pixels (or taller) and a frame rate of 29.97 fps.

When you add media to the timeline or Trimmer, embedded captioning markers are dis-
played as media markers:

Markers are aligned with the start of captioning for paint-on captions or with the display
time for pop-up style captions.

When the captioning markers are read, VEGAS Pro creates an .SCC file in the media file's
folder using the same base name as the media file. The .SCC file is used when you use the
media in the future so the application doesn't need to scan the media again.

When you're finished editing your project, you can promote the embedded captioning mark-
ers to the timeline:

1. Select events with captions.

2. From the Tools menu, choose SCRIPTING, and then choose PROMOTE MEDIA
CLOSED CAPTIONING.
The markers appear as command markers on the timeline, and you can move and

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edit the markers as needed:

Rendering Line 21 captions

Line 21 captions are supported during rendering when using a frame size of 720x486 pixels
(or taller) and a frame rate of 29.97 fps.

NOTE Please note that encoding line 21 captions for DVD is not supported. MPEG-2
video for DVD cannot exceed 480 lines of resolution. DVD line 21 captions are embed-
ded as metadata in the MPEG-2 video stream and are not supported.

Importing closed captions from a closed captioning file

If your media does not contain embedded captioning markers, you can import markers
from an external file. The following file types are supported:
● Scenarist Closed Caption (.SCC)

TIP
If an .scc file matches the media file name, the captions willbe read auto-
matically when you load a file.
For example, if your video file is wildflowers.avi, naming your captioning file
wildflowers.avi.scc will allow VEGAS Proto read the captions automatically.

● RealPlayer Captioning Files (.RT)

● SubRip Subtitles (.SRT)

● Windows Media Player Captioning Files (.SMI)

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● Transcript or QuickTime Captioning Files (.TXT)

● CPC MacCaption Files (.MCC)

TIP If an .mcc file does not contain CEA608 captions, its CEA708 captions will
be converted to CEA608 pop-up captions. Service 1 captions will be imported
as 608CC1 captions, and Service 2 captions will be importedas 608CC3 cap-
tions.

● DVD Architect Subtitles (.SUB)

» From the File menu, choose IMPORT, and then choose CLOSED CAPTIONING from
the submenu.

» In the Open dialog, browse to the file you want to use and click OPEN.
The markers appear as command markers on the timeline, and you can move and
edit the markers as needed.

TIP Captioning markers will be placed according to the timecode inthe cap-
tioning file. If needed, you can adjust marker positions by applyinga timeline
ruler offset before importing the closedcaptioning. For more information, see
Time ruler (p. 62)

Synchronizing captions with video

After you import captions, you may need to adjust timing to synchronize the markers with
your video.

1. Use the procedure described earlier in this help topic to import captions.

2. Position your video events as desired in the timeline.

3. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to display the Edit Details window.

4. From the SHOW drop-down list, choose COMMANDS. Your captioning commands
are now displayed in the Edit Details window.

5. In the timeline, position the cursor where you want to start inserting captions.

6. Select a row in the Edit Details list to select the first caption you want to insert.

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7. Click the PLAY button to start playback.

8. When you're ready to insert your first caption, press Ctrl+K. The first caption is
inserted at the cursor position, the POSITION setting is updated, and the next cap-
tion is selected.

9. Press Ctrl+K to insert each subsequent caption.

Adding or editing closed caption markers on the timeline

You can edit closed caption markers on the timeline to adjust caption start times, delete
caption markers, edit their contents, or add new markers.
● To add a new marker, click to position the cursor on the timeline and then choose
COMMAND from the Insert menu (or press C).

TIP To create a pop-on caption quickly, type your caption text in the
COMMENT box in the Command Properties dialog. Caption markup is added
automatically.You can use [BR] to indicate a line break.

● To move a marker, drag the marker tag on the timeline.

● To delete a marker, right-click it and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

● To edit a marker, double-click the marker tag.

Use the Command Properties dialog to edit the marker.

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Item Description

Choose 608CC1 for primary-language captions.

Choose 608CC3 for secondary-language captions.

NOTE Notes:

● VEGAS Pro also supports 608CC2 and 608CC4 commands

Command
for the CC2/CC4 channels.
● When rendering to XDCAM HD/HD422, CEA608 data is uplif-
ted to CEA708 format so that CEA608 and CEA708 captions
are available when playing via HD SDI. CEA608 CC1 is uplif-
ted to CEA708 Service 1, and CEA608 CC3 is uplifted to
CEA708 Service 2.

Parameter Displays the marker's captioning text. [BR] indicates a line break.

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Item Description

Type closed caption control commands here.

Commands must conform to standard caption markup, and command

strings are case and space sensitive. For more information about cap-
tioning markup, please see "Captioning markup and examples" in this
help topic.

TIP You can use your keyboard to create standard text and punc-
tuation. To insert special characters and punctuation, use the
Character Map (START | ALL PROGRAMS | ACCESSORIES |
SYSTEM TOOLS | CHARACTER MAP).

Comment For minor edits, you can ignore the markup and edit the displayed
text. If you change the length of the text, be aware of the following:

{R14In00Wh} means Row 14, Indent 00, White text.

Row (two digits) ranges from 01 to 15.

Indent (two digits) ranges from 00 to 28 but only in multiples of 4.

{TabOff1} means Tab offset 1. Possible values (one digit) are 1, 2, or

3.

IMPORTANT For each row, indent (In) plus tab offset (TabOff)
plus the number of content characters cannot exceed 32.

Position Type the time you want the command to occur in your project.

Captioning markup reference and examples

Pop-On Caption

A pop-on caption is displayed on the screen as a single element and is cleared or replaced
with a new caption. Pop-on captions are most often used for prerecorded captioning.

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{RCL}{ENM}{R14In00Wh}{TabOff1}First Row{R15In00Wh}{TabOff1}Second Row{EDM}

{EOC}

TIP If you type captioning text in the COMMENT box of the Command Properties dialog
and do not specify captioning markup, a pop-on caption is created. You can use [BR] to
indicate a line break. Please note that each row is limited to 32 characters.

Roll-Up Caption

A roll-up caption scrolls onto and off the screen two or three lines at a time and is most
often used for live captioning.

{RU2}{CR}{R15In00Wh}{TabOff1}First Row

—or—

{RU3}{CR}{R14In00Wh}{TabOff1}First Row{R15In00Wh}{TabOff1}Second Row

—or—

{RU4}{CR}{R13In00Wh}{TabOff1}First Row{R14In00Wh}{TabOff1}Second Row{R15In00Wh}

{TabOff1}Third Row

Paint-On Caption

A paint-on caption appears on screen one letter at a time and displayed like a pop-on cap-
tion. Paint-in captions are most often used at the beginning of a program.

{RDC}{R14In04Wh}{TabOff3}First Row{R15In04Wh}{TabOff3}Second Row

Captioning Markup

Caption
Description Usage Notes
Markup

{RCL} Resume Caption Loading Starts a pop-on caption.

{RDC} Resume Direct Captioning Starts a paint-in caption.

{RU2} Roll-Up Captions-2 Rows Starts a two-line roll-up caption.

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Caption
Description Usage Notes
Markup

{RU3} Roll-Up Captions-3 Rows Starts a three-line roll-up caption.

{RU4} Roll-Up Captions-4 Rows Starts a four-line roll-up caption.

Cleans the display. Required to

{EDM} Erase Displayed Memory remove roll-up and paint-on cap-
tions from the screen.

Cleans buffered captions from

{ENM} Erase Nondisplayed Memory
memory.

In pop-up captions, EOC ends the

{EOC} End of Caption current caption and displays the
next caption.

Causes the caption to blink until

{FlashOn} Flash On
new foreground attributes are set.

{TabOff1} Tab Offset 1 For each row, indent (In) plus tab
offset (TabOff) plus the number of
{TabOff2} Tab Offset 2
content characters cannot exceed
{TabOff3} Tab Offset 3 32.

{Backspace} Backspace Used for live captioning.

{DelEndRow} Delete to End of Row Used for live captioning.

{CR} Carriage Return

{R yy Wh} Row yy [00 to 15], White Text

Row yy [00 to 15], White

{R yy WhU}
Underlined

Row yy [00 to 15], Green

{R yy Gr}
Text

Row yy [00 to 15], Green

{R yy GrU}
Underlined

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Caption
Description Usage Notes
Markup

{R yy Bl} Row yy [00 to 15], Blue Text

Row yy [00 to 15], Blue

{R yy BlU}
Underlined

{R yyCy} Row yy [00 to 15], Cyan Text

Row yy [00 to 15], Cyan

{R yy CyU}
Underlined

{R yy Rd} Row yy [00 to 15], Red Text

Row yy [00 to 15], Red Under-

{R yy RdU}
lined

Row yy [00 to 15], Yellow

{R yy Yl}
Text

Row yy [00 to 15], Yellow

{R yy YlU}
Underlined

Row yy [00 to 15], Magenta

{R yy Ma}
Text

Row yy [00 to 15], Magenta

{R yy MaU}
Underlined

Row yy [00 to 15], White Ital-

{R yy WhI}
ics

Row yy [00 to 15], White Ital-

{R yy WhIU}
ics Underlined

For each row, indent (In) plus tab

Row yy [00 to 15], Indent xx
offset (TabOff) plus the number of
{R yy In xx Wh} [00|04|08|12|16|20|24|28],
content characters cannot exceed
White Text
32.

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Caption
Description Usage Notes
Markup

Row yy [00 to 15], Indent xx

{R yy In xx
[00|04|08|12|16|20|24|28],
WhU}
White Underlined

{WhTxt} White Text

{WhUTxt} White Underlined

{GrTxt} Green Text

{GrUTxt} Green Underlined

{BlTxt} Blue Text

{BlUTxt} Blue Underlined

{CyTxt} Cyan Text

{CyUTxt} Cyan Underlined

{RdTxt} Red Text

{RdUTxt} Red Underlined

{YlTxt} Yellow Text

{YlUTxt} Yellow Underlined

{MaTxt} Magenta Text

{MaUTxt} Magenta Underlined

{ITxt} Italicized Text

{IUTxt} Italicized Underlined

{BgWh} Background White

Background Semitransparent
{BgWhSemi}
White

{BgGr} Background Green

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Caption
Description Usage Notes
Markup

Background Semitransparent
{BgGrSemi}
Green

{BgBl} Background Blue

Background Semitransparent
{BgBlSemi}
Blue

{BgCy} Background Cyan

Background Semitransparent
{BgCySemi}
Cyan

{BgRd} Background Red

Background Semitransparent
{BgRdSemi}
Red

{BgYl} Background Yellow

Background Semitransparent
{BgYlSemi}
Yellow

{BgMa} Background Magenta

Background Semitransparent
{BgMaSemi}
Magenta

{BgBlk} Background Black

Background Semitransparent
{BgBlkSemi}
Black

{BgTran} Background Transparent

{BlkTxt} Black Text

{BlkUTxt} Black Underlined

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Caption
Description Usage Notes
Markup

{StdCharSet} Standard Character Set

{DSzCharSet} Double Size Character Set You can use the character set
commands to switch between
{1PCharSet} First Private Character Set
character sets in your captions.
Second Private Character For example, if you needed to dis-
{2PCharSet}
Set play Korean characters in an Eng-
lish-captioned program, you could
People’s Republic of China
{CHNCharset} use {KORCharSet} to display
Character Set
Korean characters and then use
{KORCharSet} Korean Character Set {StdCharSet} to switch back to
English captions.
First Registered Character
{1RgCharSet}
Set

Not used when creating new cap-

tions.

When you're working with existing

{TH} Time Holder captions, captioning data can be
transferred ahead of the display
time, and {TH} can be used to
adjust the display time.

Displaying closed captions in the Video Preview or Trimmer

window

You can preview your captions by using overlays in the Video Preview window. For more
information, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185)

TIP Overlay settings from the Video Preview window are also applied to the video mon-
itor in the Trimmer window.

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1. Click the down arrow next to the OVERLAYS button and choose a setting from
the menu to turn on the caption type that you want to preview.

2. Play your project.

Exporting closed captions

Some Webcasting formats require that captions be saved in an external file. After creating
your captions, you can export them to several formats.

1. Create and edit your captions as described in this help topic.

2. From the Tools menu, choose SCRIPTING, and then choose a command from the
submenu:

Item Description

Creates a subtitle (.SUB) file that can be used by DVD

Export Closed
Architect software. The .SUB file contains timecode val-
Captioning for
ues and text that will be used to create subtitle events in
DVD Architect
DVD Architect.

Creates a text (.TXT) and .SMIL file for each subtitle ser-
vice. The text file contains the captions and formatting,
and the .SMIL file contains information that defines how
captions will display on the media file.

Export Closed The .SMIL file links to a .MOV file that uses the same base
Captioning for name as your exported captions file by default. You can
QuickTime edit the file to refer to the desired media file name.

TIP If you're using QuickTime Pro, you can create a

QuickTime text track to embed captions in your video
file.

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Item Description

Creates a .SMI and .ASX file for each subtitle service. The
.SMI file contains the captions and formatting, and the
Export Closed
.ASX file contains information that defines how captions
Captioning for
will display on the media file.
Windows
The .ASX file links to a .WMV file that uses the same base
Media Player
name as your exported captions file by default. You can
edit the file to refer to the desired media file name.

EXPORT
Creates an .SRT file that can be used for YouTube cap-
CLOSED
tions and by some DVD authoring software.
CAPTIONING
FOR For information about adding subtitles to your YouTube
YOUTUBE videos, please see http://www.youtube.com.

3. Use the Save dialog to specify a file name and folder for your captions file, and
then click SAVE.

Editing multiple captions with the Edit Details window

The Edit Details window allows you to see all of your project's captions at once for quick
editing. For more information, see Using the Edit Details Window (p. 381)

You can even edit multiple captions at once. For example, if you wanted to change your
608CC1 (primary language) captions to 608CC3 (secondary language), perform the fol-
lowing steps.

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to display the Edit Details window if it
isn't already visible.

2. In the Edit Details window, choose COMMANDS from the SHOW drop-down list.
Your closed caption markers are displayed.

3. Select the captions you want to edit:

a. Hold Shift and click in the COMMAND column for the first caption you want
to change.

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b. Hold Shift and click in the COMMAND column for the last caption you want to
change.
All captions between the first- and last-selected rows are selected.

4. Right-click the COMMAND column for any selected caption and choose EDIT from
the shortcut menu.

5. Type a new value in the box — in this case, you'd type 608CC3 — and press Enter.
All selected captions are changed to 608CC3.

Captioning Windows Media files

Captioning increases the reach of your multimedia productions by making them accessible
to a wider audience, and VEGAS Pro makes it easy for you to add captioning.

Adding captioning to a streaming Windows Media Video

presentation

1. Arrange your audio and video files on the timeline to create your project.

2. Add a Text command for each line of captioning text:

a. Position the cursor where you want to add a caption.

b. From the Insert menu, choose COMMAND. The Command Properties dialog
is displayed.

c. From the COMMAND drop-down list, choose TEXT.

d. In the PARAMETER box, enter the captioning text you want to display.

3. Repeat step 2 as necessary.

4. Render your file in Windows Media Video format.

For more information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

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NOTE The following step is optional. If you choose not to embed the Windows
Media Player in a Web page, be sure to instruct your audience to turn on cap-
tioning.

5. Create an HTML page with the Windows Media player embedded in it.

Entering captioning text from a script

The previous method of entering captions is fine for small projects that contain relatively
few captions, but what if you're working with a large project that requires many captions?
No problem. You can easily create captioning markers from a spreadsheet or other tab-
delimited format.

1. Create a list of each caption you want to insert:

a. Create a four-column, tab-delimited spreadsheet.

b. In the first column, enter 00:00:00:00 as a placeholder. The actual time of

each caption will be determined later.

c. In the second column, enter TEXT to specify the command type.

d. In the third column, enter the text that you want to display as a caption.

TIP
● If you have a script, you can copy the information from the script
and paste it into your spreadsheet. Each line should be pasted to
its own cell.
● The VEGAS Pro CD includes a template that you can use to create
your captions. The file, VEGAS CAPTIONING SHELL.TXT, is saved
in the Sample Projects folder on the CD. Open this file in a database
program (you can also use a text editor) and add your captions to
the third column.

e. In the fourth column, enter a label to identify your captions. An entry such as

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LINE 01 will help you sort the captions in the Edit Details window.

2. Select the cells in your spreadsheet and copy them to the clipboard.

3. Switch to the VEGAS Pro window and choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to
display the Edit Details window.

4. From the SHOW drop-down list, choose COMMANDS.

5. Click the comment column heading to sort the captions in ascending order.

6. Right-click the box in the top-left corner of the Edit Details window and choose
PASTE from the shortcut menu. The clipboard data is pasted starting at this row.

7. In the timeline, position the cursor where you want to start inserting captions.

8. Select a row in the Edit Details list to select the first caption you want to insert.

9. Click the PLAY button to start playback.

10. When you're ready to insert your first caption, press Ctrl+K. The first caption is
inserted at the cursor position, the POSITION setting is updated, and the next cap-
tion is selected.

11. Press Ctrl+K to insert each subsequent caption.

12. Render your file in Windows Media format.

For more information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

Compositing video
Compositing is the process of mixing the tracks to create a single layered output.

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In VEGAS® Pro software you can also adjust the opacity of part or all of a clip, and you can
superimpose clips on top of one another for special effects, transitions, or to add different
backgrounds.

Compositing and masks

Compositing is the process of mixing video tracks to create a single layered output.

You can use compositing in conjunction with masks to cover portions of video or to limit
the effects of a filter. Masks are frequently based on dark versus light areas, specific col-
ors, or an alpha channel.

Click the PARENT COMPOSITE MODE or COMPOSITING MODE button in the track
header and choose a mode from the menu to determine how the transparency in a video
track is generated. Since lower tracks show through higher tracks, it is the compositing
mode of the higher track that determines how much of the lower track shows though. The
compositing mode of the lowest video track adjusts its transparency against the back-
ground.

1 Parent Composite Mode

2 Compositing Mode

To change the opacity/transparency of all events on the track, drag the LEVEL slider in the
track header or use a composite-level envelope to adjust the opacity/transparency over
time.

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For more information, see Video track controls (p. 399) and Video track automation
(p. 1081)

To change the opacity/transparency of a single event, you can use an event envelope.

For more information, see Event envelopes (p. 341)

Parent and child tracks

The key to understanding overlays, masks, transparency, and compositing is to under-

stand the parent/child relationship between tracks. In general terms, the parent track is the
highest track in a group of tracks (often only two) and the behavior of the child tracks (i.e.
how they are composited together) is determined by the parent track.

●
Click the MAKE COMPOSITING CHILD button on a parent track to make a child
track.

●
Click the MAKE COMPOSITING PARENT button on a child track to make a par-
ent track.

In this first example, there are three tracks. Track one contains a mask. The circular region
in the mask is transparent, so the second track shows through. The third track is also a
child, so it is displayed behind track two.

1 Parent Track

2 Child Tracks

3 Result

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In this example, the third track is also a parent, so it is displayed behind the composite of
tracks one and two.

1 Child Track

2 Parent Tracks

3 Result

You can also produce complex compositing by creating nested parent/child groups with
compositing parents and children at various levels.

When you have multiple levels of parent and child tracks, clicking the MAKE COMPOSITING

CHILD button moves the track in one level and clicking the MAKE COMPOSITING

PARENT button moves out one level.

Hold Ctrl while clicking the MAKE COMPOSITING CHILD button to move a track and all
its child tracks in one level.

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For examples of how parent/child track relationships affect 3D compositing, see 3D com-
positing (p. 802)

Compositing modes and transparency

The COMPOSITING MODE button determines how the transparency in a video track is
generated. Because lower tracks show through higher tracks, it is the compositing mode of
the higher track that determines how much of the lower track shows though. The com-
positing mode of the lowest video track adjusts its transparency against the background.

The mode can be selected by clicking the COMPOSITING MODE button and choosing a
mode from the menu.

The following examples demonstrate how each of the compositing modes would affect
two simple tracks. Track one is a generated media event with a transparent edge.

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Mode Description Example

Multiply
Merges the colors of the tracks.
(Mask)

Uses the alpha channel to determine transparency.

Source NOTE The compositing mode is based on the alpha

Alpha channel characteristics of an event or media file. If no
alpha channel is present, the SOURCE ALPHA mode
has no effect.

Add Combines the color values in the composite group.

Subtract Subtracts the overlay color values from the background.

Cut Cuts out the overlay color values from the background.

Multiplies the inverse of the overlay color values with the

background color values. This makes overlay colors
Screen
weaker and less present and results in a lighter video
image. The opposite of this mode is MULTIPLY.

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Mode Description Example

Heightens contrast by using MULTIPLY mode on darker

Overlay
colors and SCREEN mode on lighter colors.

Adds overlay colors as if the overlay were lit by a bright,

Hard Light
focused spotlight.

Brightens the background based on the overlay color val-

Dodge
ues.

Darkens the background based on the overlay color val-

Burn
ues.

Compares the overlay and background pixel by pixel and

Darken
selects the darker color value for each pixel.

Compares the overlay and background pixel by pixel and

Lighten
selects the lighter color value for each pixel.

Compares the overlay and background pixel by pixel and

Difference subtracts the darker color value from the lighter color to
generate a new color value.

Remaps color values along a parabolic curve. The color

values of the layers in the composite group are sub-
tracted, and then the subtracted values are squared.
Difference
Squared The resulting image will have less extreme changes in
color values as the colors approach black (RGB 0,0,0)
and more extreme changes in color values as colors
approach white (RGB 255,255,255).

Drag the LEVEL slider in a video track to control the transparency or blending of each
track. Left is 100% transparent and right is 100% opaque. You can also double-click the per-
cent to enter a specific numeric percentage.

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Using a 2-to-1 transform plug-in for custom compositing

When you click the PARENT COMPOSITE MODE or COMPOSITING MODE button and
choose CUSTOM from the menu, you can use plug-ins to customize compositing.

The included Displacement Map, Height Map, and Bump Map plug-ins can create inter-
esting lens, mirror, water, fire, and other light-bending effects.

Plug-In Description

Uses the parent image as a guide to offset the pixels in the com-
posited child tracks along the horizontal and vertical axes.
Displacement The X and Y offsets are independently encoded in the image color
Map channels.

For more information, see Displacement Map

Uses the parent image as a guide to make the pixels in the com-
posited child tracks appear closer to or farther away from the
viewer.

The gradient of the image in the parent track is used to determine

Height Map
the amount of offset for the image displayed at that location, in
much the same way light bends through a lens.

For more information, see Height Map

Uses the parent image as a guide to add texture and lighting to

the composited child tracks.

The texture of the bump map is applied to the composited child

Bump Map tracks: light sections of the map represent high areas, and dark
sections represent low areas.

For more information, see Bump Map (p. 582)

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Compositor Window

The default compositing mode for a video track is SOURCE ALPHA mode.

When you apply a compositing plug-in effect (like the three mentioned above) from the
Compositor window, the track will automatically switch to Custom compositing mode. The
advantage of adding a compositing plug-in using the Compositor window is efficiency.
When adding a compositor, such as Bump Map, as a custom mode, using the Compositor
window, the "effect" applies to any and all tracks below. To accomplish the same thing
with a regular effect, you'd need to specifically add bump-map to each of the tracks below
one-by-one. If you later add another track below, you'd have to remember to add the
bump-map effect to that track.

Creating a mask

1. If you have not already done so, place and position the image or video you want to
use as a mask on the top-level track in your project.

For more information, see Adding media files to your project (p. 135)

2. Place video files on the tracks below the mask.

3. Ensure your mask is a compositing parent the tracks below are child tracks.

4. Click the COMPOSITING MODE button on the mask track and choose
MULTIPLY (MASK) from the menu.
If your mask image is grayscale, you're done. If not, continue with Step 5.

5. Add the Mask Generator plug-in as a track effect on the mask track and adjust the
controls as needed to set transparency in the mask track.

For more information, see Mask Generator (p. 634)

TIP You can also use the Event Pan/Crop dialog to create event-level Bézier

masks. For more information, see Panning and cropping video events (p.
247)

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TIP Like the Crop OFX is a replacement for the Panning and Cropping window
with interactive adjustment directly on the video preview window, there's also
a new Bézier Masking OFX. You can create up to five regular formed or Bézier
masks in a video track or event. You can also mask an effect from the same
effect chain the Bézier Masking OFX is included in, and you can track the con-
tent of the video and move and scale the mask according the content under it.

For more information, see Bézier Masking (p. 613)

FIGURE Solid-color mask

FIGURE Gradient mask

3D compositing
3D compositing is like track motion on steroids. With 3D compositing, you can move video
tracks anywhere in space.

With 2D compositing (and in previous versions of VEGAS Pro), you can move video or
images along the X or Y axes, and you can rotate video along the Z axis. With 3D com-
positing, you can move or rotate along the X, Y, or Z axes to create distance, depth, and
perspective.

NOTE There are two basic rules to 3D compositing:

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1. When you have a 2D track in the track list, 3D tracks below that track are
rendered in 3D and then composited as a 2D image.

2. A 2D track at the root level (flush to the left of the track list) acts as a barrier to
interaction between 3D tracks.
In the following examples, both text tracks have been rotated in 3D: the "hot"
track is rotated toward the user, and the "cool" track is rotated away from the
user.
In the first example, the two tracks intersect along their rotation axis. In the
second example, adding a 2D track above the "cool" track causes it to be rotated
in 3D and composited as a 2D image so the "hot" text is displayed above it without
intersecting:

Tracks Output

Moving a track in the 3D space

1. Click the TRACK MOTION button on the track that contains the overlay you
want to animate. The Track Motion window is displayed.

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2. From COMPOSITING MODE drop-down list, choose 3D SOURCE ALPHA.

3. Choose a setting from the LAYOUT drop-down list to choose the workspace dis-
play you want to use. The LAYOUT setting allows you to see your track from vari-
ous points of view.

4. Adjust the selection area to change the viewable area of the track and its position
in space. You can use the POSITION, ORIENTATION, and ROTATION controls on
the left side of the window, or you can drag the selection box in the workspace.
When you drag, guides are displayed in bold to indicate how the track will be
moved or rotated:

Moving closer to or farther from viewer. Drag across corners to flip the track.

Dragging the track.

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Rotating left to right around the Y axis.

Rotating forward or backward around the X axis

Rotating around the Z axis

5. Use the buttons at the top of the dialog to allow or prevent movement or scaling.
See the Change editing options heading in this topic for more information.

TIP Right-click the workspace to display a shortcut menu that displays com-
mands to restore, center, or flip the selection box. You can also force the box
to match the source media's aspect ratio or your project's output aspect ratio.
Matching the output aspect ratio can prevent black bars from appearing when
you use source media (such as photographs) that does not match your-
project's aspect ratio.

6. The 3D track motion occurs instantly, and the results are updated in the Video Pre-
view window.

7. Use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Track Motion window to estab-
lish distinct track motion settings throughout the duration of the track.

8. During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.

Expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION heading on the left side of the window
and drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation. For more inform-
ation about keyframe animation, see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

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Moving a group of composited tracks in the 3D space (apply-

ing parent motion)

1. Click the MAKE COMPOSITING CHILD button on the tracks you want to group
to create a compositing group.

2. Click the PARENT COMPOSITE MODE button on the parent track and choose
3D SOURCE ALPHA.

3. Click the PARENT MOTION button on the parent track. The Track Motion win-
dow is displayed.

Parent track motion affects the parent track and all child tracks.
In the sample track list, parent track motion on track 1 will affect tracks 1 through
6.
Parent track motion applied to track 4 will affect only tracks 4 through 6.

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4. Choose a setting from the LAYOUT drop-down list to choose the workspace dis-
play you want to use. The LAYOUT setting allows you to see your track from vari-
ous points of view.

5. Adjust the selection area to change the viewable area of the composite group and
its position in space. You can use the POSITION, ORIENTATION, and ROTATION
controls on the left side of the window, or you can drag the selection box in the
workspace. When you drag, guides are displayed in bold to indicate how the
group will be moved or rotated:

Moving closer to or farther from viewer. Drag across corners to flip the track.

Dragging the track.

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Rotating left to right around the Y axis.

Rotating forward or backward around the X axis.

Rotating around the Z axis.

6. Use the buttons at the top of the dialog to allow or prevent movement or scaling.

For more information, see Changing editing options (p. 810)

TIP Right-click the workspace to display a shortcut menu that displays com-
mands to restore, center, or flip the selection box. You can also force the box
to match the source media's aspect ratio or your project's output aspect ratio.
Matching the output aspect ratio can prevent black bars from appearing when
you use source media (such as photographs) that does not match your pro-
ject's aspect ratio.

7. The 3D track motion occurs instantly, and the results are updated in the Video Pre-
view window.

8. Use the keyframe controller at the bottom of the Track Motion window to estab-
lish distinct motion settings throughout the duration of the tracks.

9. During playback, intermediate frames are interpolated to create smooth motion.

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Expand the KEYFRAME INTERPOLATION heading on the left side of the window
and drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation. For more inform-
ation about keyframe animation,see Keyframe animation (p. 756)

Applying a stereoscopic 3D camera

The Stereoscopic 3D Camera controls allow you to add stereoscopic depth to 3D track
compositing elements.

1. Set up your project as a stereoscopic 3D project. For more information, see

Setting up your stereoscopic 3D project (p. 445)

2. Add 2D media to the timeline.

3. Click the TRACK MOTION button . The Track Motion window is displayed.

4. From COMPOSITING MODE drop-down list, choose 3D SOURCE ALPHA.

5. Click the EXPAND button next to the STEREOSCOPIC 3D CAMERA heading on

the left side of the Track Motion window. The LENS SEPARATION and DEPTH
ADJUST controls are displayed.

6. Use the LENS SEPARATION and DEPTH ADJUST controls to set the depth of your
media:

Item Description

Type a value in the box (or click the to display a slider

you can drag) to set the distance between the lenses in
your virtual stereoscopic 3D camera.
LENS
SEPARATION The setting represents a percentage of the frame width.
For presentation on a 40-inch HDTV, the value typically
would not exceed 7%. For theatrical projection, the value
typically would not exceed 0.5%.

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Item Description

Type a value in the box (or click the to display a slider

you can drag) to displace the left-and right-eye images to
set the depth of your 3D image. You usually want all of
the action behind the screen plane, only crossing the
screen plane for dramatic or special effect. However,
DEPTH make sure never to create divergence, where the left-eye
ADJUST picture would appear more than 2.5 inches to the left of
the right-eye picture on the largest screen where your
movie will be shown.
0 represents screen depth; positive values push action
behind screen depth, and negative values push action in
front of screen depth.

Changing editing options

Use the toolbar at the top of the Track Motion window to change your editing options:

Item Description

Select this button if you want to be able to rotate, or spin, the

Enable Rota- video.
tion When the button is not selected, video is locked so you can
move it along the X, Y, or Z axis, but the track cannot be rotated.

Enable Snap-
Select this button if you want your editing to snap to the grid.
ping to Grid

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Item Description

Select this button if you want to edit in the object's space rather
than the camera's space.
Edit in For example, if a track is rotated, its X axis may not correspond
Object to the X axis of the of the Video Preview window. Selecting the
Space EDIT IN OBJECT SPACE button in conjunction with the
PREVENT MOVEMENT buttons allows you to move the object
along its own X, Y, and Z axes.

Prevent
Select this button if you want to prevent horizontal movement
Movement
of the track.
(X)

Prevent
Select this button if you want to prevent vertical movement of
Movement
the track.
(Y)

Prevent
Select this button if you want to prevent movement of the track
Movement
along the Z axis (closer to or farther from the viewer).
(Z)

Select this button if you want the selection box to retain its
Lock Aspect aspect ratio during resizing.
Ratio When the button is not selected, the height and width can be
resized independently.

Select this button if you want the selection box to retain its cen-
ter point when you resize the box by dragging its edges.
Scale About
Center When the button is not selected, the opposite side of the selec-
tion box will remain anchored when you drag the edges to res-
ize it.

Prevent Scal- Select this button if you want to lock the horizontal dimension
ing (X) of the selection box.

Prevent Scal- Select this button if you want to lock the vertical dimension of
ing (Y) the selection box.

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Item Description

Prevent Scal- Select this button if you want to lock the Z-axis dimension of
ing (Z) the selection box.

Saving or recalling a keyframe preset

Keyframe presets save the settings of the selected keyframe row at the cursor position.

NOTE Presets for 2D and 3D track motion are saved separately: presets you create in
this window will not be available in the 2D Track Motion window.

Saving a preset

1. Adjust your Position settings as desired to create a keyframe.

2. Type a name in the PRESET box.

3. Click the SAVE PRESET button .

Recalling a preset

1. Click in the keyframe controller to position the cursor where you want to apply the
preset.

2. Choose a setting from the PRESET drop-down list.

If no keyframe exists at the cursor position, one is created using the settings from
the preset. If a keyframe exists at the cursor position, the keyframe's settings are
replaced with the settings from the preset.

Deleting a preset

Click the DELETE PRESET button to delete the current preset.

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Examples of various 3D compositing scenarios

In the following examples, track two (blue-and-yellow checkerboard) is rotated forward in

3D space, track 4 (green-and-gray checkerboard) is rotated backward in 3D space, and
track 3 (red-and-white checkerboard) is a 2D track.

Track 1 is used to rotate tracks 2 through 4 so you can see the compositing interaction.

In the first example, the 2D track is a compositing child to track 2. The 2d child is inserted
in the composited output at a depth of zero on the Z axis, and tracks 2 and 4 intersect in
3D space.

In the next example, clicking the MAKE COMPOSITING PARENT button on track 3 forces
the track below (at the same compositing level) to be rendered in 3D and composited as a
2D image.

Track 4 (green-and-gray checkerboard) now has the appearance of depth—the check-

erboard tapers to a vanishing point—but is inserted in the composited output as a 2D
image at a depth of zero on the Z axis. Track 2 is still rotated in 3D space.

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In the next example, clicking the MAKE COMPOSITING PARENT button on track 3 again
forces the track below (at the same compositing level) to be rendered in 3D and com-
posited as a 2D image. However, in this case, the 3D rotation that was applied as parent
motion on track 1 is not applied to tracks 3 and 4.

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In the next example, all tracks are compositing parents. The 3D track on track 2 is on top,
the 2D track in track 3 is composited below track 2, and the 3D track in track 4 is com-
posited below tracks 3 and 4.

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Video signal flow diagram

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Signal flow for tracks

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Compositing signal flow

The following diagram refers to 2D compositing only.

Color Grading
The COLOR GRADING panel provides a powerful set of color-grading and correction tools.
It can be used for any video media in your project including High Dynamic Range (HDR)
footage.

The panel can be applied to all four effect layers, including:

● Events

● Tracks

● Media

● Video output bus

You can apply the panel at any of the levels exclusively, all of them simultaneously, and any
combination in between.

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Open the Color Grading Panel

Each level has a control to open the Color Grading panel and set it to work at that level.

Applying Color Grading at a specific level

1. Add several video events to your timeline.

2. Select one of the video events and click the COLOR GRADING button in the
The Transport and Editing Toolbar (p. 51).

Alternative: In the main menu click TOOLS | VIDEO | COLOR GRADING .

This opens the Color Grading panel and by default it is set to apply changes at
the Event FX level. Any change you make to the controls in the panel will be
applied to the selected event. When the panel is open, you apply it to any event
you select on your timeline.

A label at the upper left corner of the panel identifies the level at which the changes will be
applied (in this case, it says Event FX) and the name of the active take in the video event
you’ve selected. Click different events on your timeline to see that the label changes
accordingly. This label will become quite important to you as you need to keep straight
which level you’re currently working at.

NOTE Notice that a color bar before the label matches the track color of the track the
selected event sits on, which also helps you identify exactly where you’re working.

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At the event level:

Click an event’s MORE button and choose Color Grading from the More menu. This
opens the Color Grading panel set to apply your changes at the event level.

At the Track level:

Click the Track’s MORE button and choose Color Grading. If the Color Grading panel is
open when you do so, this simply switches the panel’s focus from the event level (or
whatever is the current level) to the track level. Any changes you make apply to the track
level. If the Color Grading panel is not open when you choose this option, this opens the
panel and sets its focus to the Track FX.

At the Media level:

Click the Project Media tab to open the Project Media window.

Right-click the thumbnail for the media file you want to grade and choose Color Grading
from the context menu.

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At the Video Output Bus level:

Right-click the Video Preview window and choose Color Grading from the context menu.

Select the level you want to work at

Click the ADD TO FX LEVEL drop-down arrow in the button bar of the panel. This reveals a
drop-down list with several options:

Select this option when you want to leave the Color Grading panel open
but don’t currently want to use it. This setting ensures that you don’t inad-
None
vertently add the Color Grading panel every time you select an event or
other object in your project.

This activates the panel at the event level. This matches the behavior of
previous versions and is the default behavior when you open the panel.
Event
With this selected, the panel will be applied to any event you select when
FX
the Color Grading panel is open. The panel will not be applied at any other
level.

This activates the panel at the track level. With this selected, the panel
Track will be applied to any video or video adjustment track that you select
FX when the Color Grading panel is open. The panel will not be applied at any
other level.

This activates the panel at the media level. With this selected, the panel
Media will be applied to any clip that you select in the Project Media window
FX when the Color Grading panel is open. The panel will not be applied at any
other level.

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This activates the panel at the video output level. With this selected, the
panel will be immediately applied to all of your video output. Use this if
Video
you want a color change on every piece of video in your project. Be aware
Bus FX
that this will also affect generated media such as text and titles. The
panel will not be applied at any other level.

Notice that upon selecting any of these options, that option becomes highlighted in the list
and the "Add to FX Level" button icon changes to reflect the specified level. The label also
updates to indicate the currently active level. If you have set the panel to the event level
but don’t have any video events selected, the label reads None.

TIP Even though you can only activate one level at a time, you can still use the panel at
any or all of the levels simultaneously. So, you could create one color adjustment to the
media, then another to the track that holds an event that uses that media, another to
the event that holds the media, and then a fourth at the video bus output.

You can use this to create different types of adjustments for different purposes. For
instance, you might create correction adjustments at the media level so that each time the
media appears in your project it has that same adjustment. At the same time, you might
then apply changes at the event level to create a special color effect for just that one
instance of the clip on the timeline. You now have much flexibility.

NOTE Keep in mind that when you export a LUT from the Color Grading panel, only the
currently selected level will be included in that LUT.

Color Keys
The Color Grading Panel supports a selection of edits that you can control with the keys on
your 10-key number pad. These adjustments enable you to fine tune your color adjust-
ments quickly in multiple ways.

To use these keys:

1. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading panel. The keys
work on both the traditional Color Wheels and the RL Color Wheels tabs.

2. Click the Color Wheels tab if necessary to bring focus to that section.

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3. Click one of the color wheels that you want to adjust.

Notice a gray bar indicates that the wheel now has focus. You can now use your
keyboard’s number pad to make adjustments to the settings for this selected
wheel.

The following table shows the keys and their functions. You can see the effect of many of
these adjustments in the Video Preview window, and the Vector scope is also useful for
seeing what’s happening as you press the various keys.

Number pad key Function

Num 7 Adds 0.1 to the Red value

Num 4 Subtracts 0.1 from the Red value

Num 8 Adds 0.1 to the Green value

Num 5 Subtracts 0.1 from the Green value

Num 9 Adds 0.1 to the Blue value

Num 6 Subtracts 0.1 from the Blue value

Num + Adds 0.1 to the Y value

Num Enter Subtracts 0.1 from the Y value

Num 1 Subtracts 0.1 from the Cyan value

Num - Adds 0.1 to the Cyan value

Num 2 Adds 0.1 to the Magenta value

Num 0 Subtracts 0.1 from the Magenta value

Num 3 Adds 0.1 to the Yellow value

Num . Subtracts 0.1 from the Yellow value

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NOTE
● For any of the key combinations above, hold the Ctrl key to change the present
value by 0.01 instead of 0.1.
● The Backspace key resets the currently focused control to its default values

Camera and Look LUT Presets

VEGAS Pro contains a collection of Input Lookup tables (LUTs) that convert color spaces
(such as VLOG/VGamut, SLOG, or CLOG) used in many popular cameras to Rec709, the
color space used for most video editing projects. These LUTs—called camera LUTs or
input LUTs—are useful for projects that use an 8-bit pixel format (the majority of projects
for most users). For users who work with 32-bit full-range projects, the Color Space set-
tings in the media properties for your clips provide similar functionality.

VEGAS Pro also contains a selection of Look LUTs that color grade your image to emulate
the look of a number of popular films, music videos, and TV shows.

To set an input or look LUT:

1. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading Panel.

2. To specify an input LUT, click the INPUT LUT tab.

3. Click the LUT drop-down list and select a LUT preset from the menu.

4. To apply a look LUT, click the LOOK LUT tab.

5. Click the LUT drop-down list and select a preset from the menu.

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6. Once you have an input or look LUT selected, click the INTERPOLATION drop-
down list and choose an option from the list.
● Choose LINEAR for fast and reasonably accurate results.

● Choose TETRAHEDRAL for more accurate, but slightly slower results.

The LUT filter produces a blend of the original image and the color-adjusted
image.

7. Adjust the STRENGTH slider to control the mix, or the percentage of the color-
adjusted image vs. the original image. A setting of 0 shows the same results as if
you do not apply any LUT at all.

Color Wheels

Click the COLOR WHEELS tab to access the four color Wheels.
● Adjust the thumb for each wheel to adjust the color of your video.

● Double-click thumbs and sliders to reset them to their default values

● Click the RESET button to reset a wheel to its default

Specify White and Black Points

The Specify White Point and Specify Black Point tools enable you to quickly analyze and
correct the white and black values of your footage. This helps reduce the amount of time it
takes you to color correct and grade your footage.

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1. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading Panel.

2. Click the COLOR WHEELS tab if necessary to make the color wheel controls vis-
ible.

3. To specify the black point in your video:

●
Click the SPECIFY A BLACK POINT button for the LIFT color wheel.
● Point the crosshair mouse icon to a point in your VIDEO PREVIEW window
that you want to identify as true black, and click that point.
This samples the color and automatically adjusts the Lift color wheel as
necessary to make the point true black.

4. To specify the white point in your video:

●
Click the SPECIFY A WHITE POINT button for the GAIN color wheel.
● Point the crosshair mouse icon to something in your VIDEO PREVIEW win-
dow image which should be white, and click that point.
This samples the color at that point and automatically adjusts the Gaincolor
wheel as necessary to make the point true white.

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After you set the black and white points of your footage, the brightness and contrast levels
will be much closer to properly color corrected. This provides a great starting point for you
to use to further correct and grade your footage.

Preview of selected colors

It sometimes helps to know the exact color value of a point in your video. You can use the
color pickers associated with the Set White/Black Point tools in the Color Grading panel to
view color values.

1. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading Panel.

2. Select an event in your timeline to place the cursor within it so you can view its
video in the Video Preview window.

3. Click the COLOR WHEELS tab if necessary to make the color wheel controls vis-
ible.

4. Click either the SPECIFY A BLACK POINT or SPECIFY A WHITE POINT but-

ton.

5. Point (not click) your mouse to a spot in your VIDEO PREVIEW window.

6. Back in the Color Grading panel, notice that a color square appears and shows you
the colors you point to as you move your mouse.
The R, G, and B fields show you the value of the color your mouse currently points

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to.

Region option when selecting a color

When you use the Specify a Black Point and Specify a White Point buttons in the Color
Grading panel, you can specify an area from which to specify an average color. This can
sometimes give you more accurate color correction than the value of a single pixel can
provide.

1. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading Panel.

2. Select an event in your timeline to place the cursor within it so you can view its
video in the Video Preview window.

3. Click the COLOR WHEELS tab if necessary to make the color wheel controls vis-
ible.

4. Click either the SPECIFY A BLACK POINT or SPECIFY A WHITE POINT but-

ton.

5. Point your mouse to a spot in your VIDEO PREVIEW window.

6. Click and drag through your video to create a sample area rectangle. Once you
have the rectangle you want, release your mouse button. If you just click at this
point, you will sample a single pixel and your automatic color adjustments will be

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based on the color value of that pixel.

VEGAS then samples the entire area you defined and calculates an average of all of the
color values within that area. The tool uses this average to then make the automatic color
adjustments.

Range-Limited Color Wheels

The Range-Limited Color Wheels enable you to define a specific range of colors that adjust-
ments to the various color wheels affect.

To access the Range-Limited Color Wheels, click the RL COLOR WHEELS tab in the VEGAS
Pro Color Grading Panel.

If one of them is not already visible, open the Waveform or RGB Parade video scope. Notice
the light blue lines in the scope. These identify the thresholds that limit the color adjust-
ments you make with the RL Color Wheels. Back in the Color Grading panel, use the Show
Limits on Scopes button to toggle these indicators off and on.

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Adjust the Left Limit slider to change the value of the upper threshold and watch your
video scope to see where you’re placing the threshold. Use the Right Limit slider to adjust
the lower threshold.

With the thresholds set, make an adjustment to the Shadows color wheel. Notice that the
lower threshold setting limits the Shadows color wheel so that changes you make with it
affect mainly the material below the low threshold.

Make adjustments to the Highlights color wheel. In the same way, the upper threshold lim-
its these changes to mainly material that rises above the threshold.

Finally, make adjustments to the Midtones color wheel. These adjustments apply mainly to
material that exists between the two threshold settings.

TIP
Fine mouse movements for the Color Grading Panel

In any of the color wheels (or on the color channel sliders), use your Left mouse button
to move the control.

For even finer movement, hold the Ctrl key. Use this technique for extreme accuracy.

If you prefer making large changes quickly, use the Right mouse button to move the
control. This matches the speed used by default in previous versions of the software.

Utilities
Controls have been added to the Color Grading panel that enable you to easily adjust the
brightness and contrast of your video. You can use these tools to help correct exposure
problems in your video as well as for special effect. To use them, click the Color Grading
button to open the Color Grading panel.

Select an object that you want to apply color grading to.

Make sure to set the ADD TO FX LEVEL button to the level of the object you’ve selected.
For instance, select an event on the timeline and choose EVENT FX from the ADD TO FX
LEVEL drop-down list.

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To make your video lighter or darker, adjust the BRIGHTNESS slider.

● A setting of -1.0 results in darkening your video to pure black.

● A setting of +1.0 results in pure white.

Contrast in your video represents the absolute difference between the darkest and lightest
areas of your video image. To create a wider range of values between the darkest and light-
est areas in your video, drag the CONTRAST slider to the right. This can have the effect of
making your video “pop” and feel richer and warmer. Too much contrast begins to cause
detail loss in the darkest and brightest areas and can begin to make your video seem unnat-
ural.

To create a narrower range of values between bright and dark, drag the Contrast slider to
the left. This makes the difference between bright and dark less defined. As you lower the
contrast, your video begins to look “flatter” and eventually may turn completely gray as you
remove any difference between the bright and dark areas.

Typically, the right amount of contrast is fairly subtle, but again, you can use this setting for
special effects if you choose.

To achieve different results with the same Contrast setting, adjust the CONTRAST
CENTER slider. This sets the anchor point for distributing the color values. When you
decrease the Contrast Center setting, your Contrast setting focuses more on the darker
color area. When you increase the Contrast Center setting, your Contrast setting focuses
more on the brighter areas.

White Balance controls

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

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Different types of lights have different color temperatures with sunlight of around 5,700
Kelvin being used as a “natural-light” baseline target. If video has been shot without
accounting for the proper lighting temperature through proper camera settings, colors can
look unnatural and tinted. The White balance controls in the Color Grading panel help you
correct footage shot with improper in-camera white balance.

1. Add a video file to your timeline.

2. Click the video event to select it and open the COLOR GRADING panel | UTILITIES
tab.

To change the video’s color temperature, adjust the Temperature slider.

● Move the slider to the right to add blue to your image, thus cooling the color tem-
perature.
● Move the slider to the left to add red and warm the temperature up.

To darken the image:

Move the TINT slider to the left in order to add magenta.

To brighten the image:

Move the TINT slider to the right to add green to the image.

To let the software sample your neutral colors and automatically adjust the temperature in an
attempt to reach the color of sunlight:

1. Click the SELECT NEUTRAL TONE button.

2. Point your mouse to a neutral color (white or gray) in your image.

Notice that the SELECT NEUTRAL TONE button has changed to a color square
that shows the color you are currently pointing to.

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3. When you have the color you want:

● Click the Video Preview window to sample the pixel you click on. Or,

● hold the mouse button down and draw an area rectangle to take an average
value of the area you define.

VEGAS Pro samples the chosen color or range and adjusts the TEMPERATURE slider to
automatically adjust your white balance.

Color Curves
The color curves in VEGAS Pro give you a powerful tool for fine-tune adjustments to your
video’s brightness, contrast, and color. The VEGAS Pro Color Grading panel features four
curves, one for brightness, and one for each of the three primary colors, red, green, and
blue.

Access the Color Curves

1. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading panel.

2. Click the COLOR CURVES tab to make that the active section.

In the default configuration, all four color curves use a single graph, but only the Brightness
curve appears to begin with.

Adjust shadows and highlights

● To adjust your video’s shadows, drag the control on the left end of the Brightness
curve.
● To adjust the highlights, drag the control on the right end.

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● Use the yellow curve handles that appear on each control point to change the
shape of the curve without moving the point. Each of the other curves works the
same way.

Add additional control points

You can also add additional control points to any curve for even greater control. To add a
new control point, double-click the curve line at the location you want the new point.

NOTE
Notice that control points that are not endpoints have two handles you can use to
change the shape of the curve.

When you move one of the handles, the point’s other handle also reacts to the move-
ment.

If you want to move one handle without changing the shape of the curve on the other
side of the control point, right-click the control point and choose LOCK TANGENTS
from the context menu.

With Lock Tangents disabled, you can change one handle without also changing the
other.

Activate the other curves

Click the Select Curves button and select the checkbox for the curve you want. All of the
curves you activate will appear on this same graph.

View all four curves

Since working on multiple curves over one graph can be a bit confusing, you can also view
all four curves simultaneously.
● Drag the left border of the Color Curves section to the left.

● After you expand the panel far enough, the four color curves appear side by side
each on its own graph, as seen in the image below.

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HSL Curves
With HSL curves you can adjust the color properties of a video by modifying the hue, sat-
uration, and luminance levels. The curve interface provides precise control over these
adjustments, allowing to create custom color effects, correct color imbalances, enhance
specific hues, or achieve a desired overall color look. By adjusting the HSL curves, you can
fine-tune the colors in a video, making it more vibrant, correcting color casts, or achieving
a specific mood or style.

Color squares

The six color squares above the curve spectrum represent the three primary colors (Red,
Green, and Blue) and the three secondary colors (Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta).

To add a point on the curve for these exact colors:

● Click the appropriate color square.

● Click the Gray square to open a color pallet from which you can choose other col-
ors.

When you select a point on the curve, you can check the exact value of both the hue and
saturation in the text fields above the spectrum.

Red range

The red range on the horizontal spectrum spans the point at which the spectrum “loops”
around to start at the beginning again. This can make it difficult to work with a range that
includes reds.

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To make it easier to work with the reds:

1. Click the spectrum away from any points or the curve line itself.

2. Drag the spectrum right or left to scroll it over so that the red values are more in
the middle of the spectrum view.

3. You can easily create your range and make your red adjustments.

Color Selector

The Color Selector enables you to easily sample a value or a range of values in
the video to which the color curve adjustments will apply. This makes it easy,
for example, to target a specific hue or a range of hues that will be affected by
the adjustments made with the curve.

1. Add a video clip to your timeline.

2. Place the cursor within the video event by clicking at the desired position.

3. Click the Color Grading button to open the Color Grading panel.

4. Switch to the HSL Curves tab. The default curve type is Hue vs. Hue.

5. Click the Color Selector button. The mouse icon will change to a Plus symbol, indic-
ating that you are in selector mode.

6. In the Video Preview window, click on a brightly colored object. A point will be
added to the color curve at the exact hue you clicked. You can adjust this point to
change the color hue to a different hue.

By default, if you have only one point on the curve, any adjustments you make will affect all
hues in the video.

Create a hue range to work with:

1. Click the Reset button to return to the default curve shape.

2. Click the Color Selector button again.

3. Instead of just clicking, click and drag to create a rectangle across a range of col-
ors in the Video Preview window.

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4. This will create three points on the curve. The outer points define the range of hue
values included in your selection, while the middle point represents the mean
value of all the colors included in the selection.

5. Adjust the middle point and notice that you are now modifying only the hues
within the selected range on the curve.

Context menu

A point’s context menu provides additional functionality. Right-click a curve point to access
the following options:

When you choose one of the tangent curve options (see below), this
dictates how the curve handles related to each other

● Selected: the handles of the curve will both move when you
Lock Tan-
gents move one of them
● Not selected: the handles of the curve move independently of

one another

Smooth The curve starts gradually, increases toward the middle, and ends
curves gradually. You cannot modify this behavior.

All tan- Curve handles appear on all points and enable you to change the
gents shape of the curves.

Selected Curve handles appear on just the selected point and enable you to
tangents change the shape of the curves.

Select this option if you want to restrict the movement of a curve point
to vertical only, and thus lock it to a specific hue value horizontally.
Lock axis
NOTE You can still move the point horizontally by dragging the ver-
tical hue line instead of the point itself.

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This resets both the curve’s shape (if you’ve used one of the tangent
options above) and vertical position.

To reset just the point’s shape: Double-click the point.

Reset
To reset just the point’s vertical position: Double-click the small
anchor point on the curve that corresponds to the points horizontal
location.

Deletes the point. You can also click the point with the middle mouse
Delete
button/wheel to delete it

Setting the curve to its default

» Click the Reset button to remove all points from the line.

Hue vs. Hue color curve

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

This curve enables you to isolate a specific range of color (hues) in your video and change
the hue of that range to a different hue. For example, if someone is wearing a blue shirt,
you could isolate a range of blue hues and then adjust just that range of hues to a different
hue value in order to change the color of the shirt without affecting any other colors in the
video (although anything within that blue range will be affected, not just the shirt). This can
be used for a drastic special effect such as this, or for more subtle color grading and cor-
rection that affects just a specific color range in your video.

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Using the Hue vs. Hue curves:

1. Add a video file to your timeline.

Try to find something that has a fairly large area of a distinct solid color—like a
blue shirt—so that it’s easy to see as you experiment.

2. Select the video event and click the COLOR GRADING button so open the COLOR
GRADING panel.

3. Click the HSL Curves tab and select Hui vs. Hui from the Curve Type drop-down
list.
The curve background shows a color spectrum that starts with red at the left,
moves through various hues, and ends with red on the right. Think of this spec-
trum as a flattened continuous loop. The white horizontal line in the vertical center
of the spectrum depicts the curve.

4. Define a range of color hues that you want to adjust.

For instance, if you want to change the blues in your video to a different hue,
define a range over the blue shades in the spectrum.

Defining a range:

1. Double-click the curve on the left side of the blue area. This adds a point to the
curve.

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2. Add another point at the right side of the spectrum. Think of these two points as
anchor points that define your range.

3. Now double click again in between the two points you added. You can use this
point as a control point to adjust the hue of the color range you’ve defined. You
can add as many other points to the curve as you want.

Changing to a different color:

Drag the control point up or down vertically.

NOTE
The vertical line that runs through the point identifies a second hue spectrum that you
can use to target the color change you want.

If you don’t see the changes you expected as you move the control point, move it left
and right as well as up and down. You might also want to experiment with the location
of your anchor points to get the precise change you want.

Setting the curve to its default:

» Click the Reset button to remove all points from the line.

Hue vs. Saturation color curve

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

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This curve allows users to define specific hues or hue ranges and adjust the saturation of
those values. This provides precise control over color adjustments, allowing users to
enhance or desaturate specific colors in their videos. For example, the user could define a
range of blue values and raise the saturation of those values to make the blues in the video
more vibrant.

Using the Hue vs. Saturation Curve

1. Add a video file to the timeline and select the video event.

2. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading panel.

3. Navigate to the HSL CURVES tab and select HUE VS. SATURATION from the
Curve Type drop-down list.
The curve background shows a color spectrum that starts with red at the left,
moves through various hues, and ends with red on the right. The white horizontal
line in the vertical center of the spectrum depicts the curve.

Defining Color Ranges

For instance, if you want to change the saturation level of the blues in your video, define a
range over the blue shades in the spectrum.

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1. Double-click on the curve to define anchor points that represent the desired color
range. This adds a point to the curve.

2. Add additional points within the range as needed.

3. To adjust the saturation of the defined range, drag the control point vertically.

4. Experiment with the location of anchor points and control points for precise color
adjustments. Any value above the mid line adds saturation, and of course, any
value below reduces saturation.

NOTE The vertical line that runs through the point identifies a a saturation
spectrum that you can use to target the change you want. If you don’t see the
changes you expected as you move the control point, move it left and right as
well as up and down.

EXAMPLE
The adjustments have pumped up the color of the blue shirt to make it much brighter,
without affecting the saturation of any of the other colors.

Desaturating everything except a defined range

1. Drag both of the points that define the range all the way down to the bottom of
the spectrum. This pulls the color out of everything outside of the range.

2. Use the middle control point to adjust the saturation within the defined range.

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3. Fine-tune the range end points or add more points to achieve the desired isolation
effect.

To adjust the saturation of the entire video, click the Reset button to set the curve back to
the default settings. Double-click the curve to add a control point to it. Drag the control
point up. This adds saturation to the entire video. Drag the point down. This removes sat-
uration. Drag the point fully down. This completely desaturates the colors in the image so
that you end up with a grayscale image with no color. Note that when the curve has just
one point, it doesn’t matter where you locate that point horizontally—it always adjusts the
entire curve which remains flat and thus effects the entire video.

Saturation vs. Saturation color curve

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

This curve enables the user to define a range of saturation levels in the video and then
adjust the saturation level of just that range. This enables the user to control saturation
levels that range from the entire video to very targeted areas of the video based on current
saturation levels. For example, the user could define a saturation range that includes
everything below a level of 150 and remove the saturation from that range so that
everything that was originally below 150 would now be completely desaturated.

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Using the Saturation curves

1. Add a video file to your timeline.

2. Select the video event and click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color
Grading panel.

3. Click the HSL CURVES tab and select SATURATION VS. SATURATION from the
Curve Type drop-down list.

4. The curve background shows a saturation spectrum that starts with fully desat-
urated at the left and ends with fully saturated on the right. The white horizontal
line in the vertical center of the spectrum depicts the curve.

5. Adjust the saturation of the entire video

● Double-click the curve to add a control point to it.

● Drag the control point up.

This adds saturation to the entire video.

● Drag the point down.

This removes saturation.

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● Drag the point fully down.

This completely desaturates the colors in the image so that you end up with
a grayscale image with no color.

NOTE When the curve has just one point, it doesn’t matter where you loc-
ate that point horizontally—it always adjusts the entire curve which
remains flat and thus effects the entire video.

6. Manipulate the curve for selective saturation adjustments

● Add multiple control points to the curve.

● Reposition a control point to alter the shape of the curve and affect sat-
uration differently at different points.
For example, say you want to target the areas of the video that already have
the highest saturation and then adjust that saturation without affecting
areas which already have low saturation.
● Double-click the curve near the horizontal midpoint to add a control point.

● Double-click toward the end of the curve to add another point.

● Drag the control point at the end of the curve up and down to observe
changes in saturation for different colors.

7. Target a specific saturation range for adjustment

● Add three points to the curve.

The two points on either side act as anchors that keep the curve flat outside
of the range.
● Drag the middle point up and down.

This alters the saturation of only the range between the two end points and
enables you to target your saturation adjustment in a very specific manner.

Check saturation values and customize colors

● When selecting a point on the curve, check the exact vertical and horizontal sat-
uration values in the text fields above the spectrum.

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● To change the saturation color, click the color indicator in front of the value and
select a new color from the color chooser.
● Dark colors have higher saturation, while light colors have lower saturation.

Hue vs Luminance color curve

*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

This curve enables you to define a hue or the average of a range of hues in the video and
then adjust the luminance of just that color. This way you can control luminance levels that
range from the entire video to very targeted areas of the video based on selected hue. For
example, you could sample a range of blues and then increase the luminance to make the
color look brighter.

Using the Hue vs. Luminance curve

1. Add a video file to the timeline and select the video event.

2. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading panel.

3. Navigate to the HSL CURVES tab and select HUE VS. LUMINANCE from the Curve
Type drop-down list.
The curve background shows a color spectrum that starts with red at the left,
moves through various hues, and ends with red on the right. The white horizontal
line in the vertical center of the spectrum depicts the curve.

Defining a range of color hues that you want to adjust

For instance, if you want to change the luminance level of the blues in your video, define a
range over the blue shades in the spectrum.

1. Double-click the curve on the left side of the desired color range to add a point to
the curve.

2. Add another anchor point on the right side of the color range.

3. Double-click between the two anchor points you added to create a control point,
adjusting the saturation of the defined color range.
You can add as many other points to the curve as you want.

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4. Drag the control point vertically:

● Any value above the mid line adds luminance.

● Any value below reduces luminance.

The vertical line that runs through the point identifies a luminance spectrum that you can
use to target the change you want. If you don’t see the change you expected as you move
the control point, move it left and right as well as up and down.

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Changing Saturation of Non-Selected Color Range

1. Drag both anchor points defining the range to the bottom of the spectrum. This
pulls the color out of everything outside of the range while with the middle point
you can still add more saturation to the selected color if you want to.

2. Adjust the range end points and add more points to the curve if needed for
desired isolation effects.

Adjusting the luminance of the entire video

1. Click the Reset button to restore the default curve settings.

2. Double-click the curve to add a control point.

3. Drag the control point up to increase luminance or down to decrease luminance.

NOTE A single control point affects the entire curve and, consequently, the
entire video.

Luminance vs Saturation
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

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This curve enables you to define a range of luminance levels in the video and then adjust
the saturation level of just that range. You can control saturation levels that range from the
entire video to very targeted areas of the video based on current luminance levels. For
example, you could define a luminance range that includes everything above a certain level
and raise the saturation on that range to make everything in that luminance range look
more vibrant.

FIGURE Saturation adjustment example: Woman's pants and wall fully desaturated, while the bright sky remains
unaffected.

Using the Luminance vs. Saturation curve

1. Add a video file to the timeline and select the video event.

2. Click the COLOR GRADING button to open the Color Grading panel.

3. Navigate to the HSL CURVES tab and select LUMINANCE VS. SATURATION from
the Curve Type drop-down list.
The curve background shows a luminance spectrum that starts with dark at the
left and ends with bright on the right. The white horizontal line in the vertical cen-
ter of the spectrum depicts the curve.

Adjusting the saturation of the entire video

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● Double-click the curve to add a control point to it.

● Drag the control point up to increase saturation or down to decrease saturation.

● Fully dragging the point down desaturates the colors, resulting in a grayscale
image.

NOTE When the curve has just one point, it doesn’t matter where you locate
that point horizontally—it always adjusts the entire curve which remains flat
and thus effects the entire video.

Modify Saturation Based on Luminance

When you add more than one point to the curve and then reposition a control point, you
alter the shape of the curve and thus affect the saturation differently at different points
along the curve. For example, say you want to target the areas of the video that already
have the lowest luminance then adjust the saturation of that range without affecting areas
which already have high luminance.

1. Double-click the curve near the horizontal midpoint to add a control point.

2. Double-click to the left of your new point to add another point.

3. Drag the left control point up and down to observe the saturation changes in the
Video Preview window.

4. Adjust the point until you achieve the desired saturation effects on specific lumin-
ance ranges.
Bright colors remain unaffected while colors with lower luminance are impacted.

Target a specific luminance range for adjustment

1. Add three points to the curve. The two points on either side act as anchors that
keep the curve flat outside of the range.

2. Drag the middle point up and down. This alters the saturation of only the range
between the two end points and enables you to target your saturation adjustment
in a very specific manner.

TIP When you select a point on the curve, you can check the exact value of the lumin-
ance and saturation levels at that point in the text fields above the spectrum.

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Saturation vs Luminance
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The "Saturation vs. Luminance" curve allows you to define a range of saturation levels in
the video and then adjust the luminance level of just that range. You have the flexibility to
control luminance levels across the entire video or target specific areas based on their cur-
rent saturation levels. For example, you can define a saturation range that includes
everything below a certain level and increase the luminance for that range to make those
areas appear brighter.

Using this curve

1. Add a video file to your timeline. Ensure the video contains a mix of areas with
both low and high saturation levels.

2. Select the video event on the timeline and click the "Color Grading" button to
open the "Color Grading" panel.

3. Switch to the "HSL Curves" tab.

4. From the "Curve Type" drop-down list, select "Saturation vs. Luminance."

The curve background shows a saturation spectrum that starts with fully desaturated at
the left and ends with fully saturated on the right. The white horizontal line in the vertical
center of the spectrum depicts the curve.

Adjusting Luminance for the Entire Video

● Double-click the curve to add a control point to it.

● Drag the control point up. This increases the luminance of the entire video.

● Drag the point down. This decreases luminance.

NOTE When the curve has just one point, it doesn’t matter where you locate
that point horizontally—it always adjusts the entire curve which remains flat
and thus effects the entire video.

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● Click the Reset button to remove the control point and set the curve back to its
default.

Targeting Specific Saturation Ranges

Adding multiple control points allows you to adjust luminance differently for various points
along the curve.

EXAMPLE For instance, to target areas with low saturation and adjust their luminance
without affecting highly saturated areas:

1. Double-click the curve near the horizontal midpoint to add a control point.

2. Double-click towards the left end of the curve to add another point.

3. Drag the control point at the end of the curve up and down.

Observe the changes in the Video Preview window as you move the point up and down.
Low-saturation areas will experience significant luminance adjustments, while highly sat-
urated areas will be less or not affected at all.

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In this case, the colors that were most saturated are affected while colors that were desat-
urated are not. In this split screen image, the luminance of the low saturation areas like the
hazy gray background and the dark mountainside have been considerably brightened,
while the highly saturated orange patch of sky above the man’s head hasn’t changed much
if at all.

To adjust a specific saturation range:

1. Add three points to the curve. The two points on either side act as anchors that
keep the curve flat outside of the range.

2. Drag the middle point up and down. This alters the luminance of only the range
between the two end points and enables you to target your luminance adjustment
in a very specific manner.

Monitoring video with scopes

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO SCOPES to toggle the display of the Video Scopes win-
dow in VEGAS® Pro.

Broadcast video uses a narrower range of color than the RGB you see on your computer.
When you broadcast a project that contains out-of-gamut (out-of-range) colors, you can
introduce image problems or even noise into the audio stream.

Use the scopes to analyze your video and adjust accordingly with the Brightness and Con-
trast, Broadcast Colors, Color Corrector, Color Corrector (Secondary), and Levels plug-ins
before rendering.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose which scope you want to display.

TIP
You can use split-screen previews to help match colors between clips. When the split-
screen preview mode is set to CLIPBOARD, the Video Preview and Video Scopes win-

dows will display the frame you copied to the clipboard and the current frame. For
more information, see Split-screen previews (p. 196)

When you're working with a stereoscopic 3D project, video scopes measure the right-

eye video unless your stereoscopic 3D mode for preview is set to LEFT ONLY. For
more information, see Setting up your stereoscopic 3D project (p. 445)

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The Vectorscope Monitor

The vectorscope monitor in the Video Scopes window allows you to monitor the chroma
values (color content) of your video signal. The monitor plots hue and saturation on a color
wheel.

The vectorscope displays targets for broadcast-legal saturations of red (R), magenta (Mg),
blue (B), cyan (Cy), green (G), and yellow (Yl). Individual colors in your video signal are dis-
played as dots in the vectorscope. A dot's distance from the center of the scope rep-
resents its saturation, and the angle of the line from the dot to the center of the scope
represents its hue.

For example, if an image has a blue cast, the distribution of dots in the vectorscope will be
concentrated toward the blue portion of the color wheel. If the image includes out-of-
range blue values, the vectorscope display will extend beyond the blue target.

You can use the vectorscope to calibrate color between scenes. Without calibration, you
may see noticeable color differences between scenes from multicamera shoots.

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO SCOPES to toggle the display of the Video
Scopes window.

2. Choose VECTORSCOPE from the drop-down list.

3. Position the cursor in the frame you want to analyze. If the UPDATE SCOPES

WHILE PLAYING button is selected, you can monitor your video during play-
back.

4. The vectorscope monitor displays the chroma values of the video signal:

Frame Vectorscope Description

Colors are within legal broadcast limits.

Note that the dots for each color in the
test pattern are centered in the appro-
priate target.

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Frame Vectorscope Description

The image has too much blue. Note that

the display is distributed toward the blue
portion of the vectorscope.

The red in the boat cover is out of range.

Note that the display extends beyond
the red target.

5. Hover over a portion of the monitor to display the chroma value at the pointer pos-
ition:

The Video Waveform Monitor

The waveform monitor in the Video Scopes window allows you to monitor the luma values
(brightness or Y component) of your video signal. The monitor plots luma values on the ver-
tical axis and the width of the current frame on the horizontal axis.

For more information, see Monitoring video with scopes (p. 853)

TIP If you want to include chroma (color or C component) information in the waveform
monitor, choose COMPOSITE from the drop-down list at the top of the monitor window.
When you choose LUMINANCE, chroma information is omitted.

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO SCOPES to toggle the display of the Video
Scopes window.

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2. Choose WAVEFORM from the drop-down list.

3. Position the cursor in the frame you want to analyze. If the UPDATE SCOPES

WHILE PLAYING button is selected, you can monitor the waveform during play-
back.

4. The waveform monitor displays the luma values of the video signal:

Frame Waveform Description

The dark left half of the frame is dis-

played on the left of the waveform, and
the light right half is displayed on the
right.

Most luma values are concentrated

toward the top of the monitor, with some
values exceeding the recommended
peak of 110.
The resulting image appears washed
out.

Most luma values are concentrated

toward the bottom of the monitor.
The resulting image appears too dark.

Luma values are evenly distributed in the

monitor.
The resulting image appears more bal-
anced.

5. Hover over a portion of the monitor to display the luma value at the pointer pos-
ition:

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The Histogram Monitor

The histogram monitor in the Video Scopes window allows you to monitor color levels and
contrast of your video. Use the histogram before rendering your project to find and correct
out-of-range values that could cause problems on the destination playback device.

The bar graph plots the number of pixels that exist for each color intensity. For example,
when using the BLUE setting, the vertical axis represents the number of pixels, and the
horizontal axis represents the RGB color range from 0,0,0 to 0,0,255.

TIP
To get acquainted with the histogram, use an external monitor to preview your video
and watch the video output and histogram as you use plug-ins to modify the colors.

For more information, see Using an External Video Monitor (p. 203)

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO SCOPES to toggle the display of the Video
Scopes window.

2. Choose HISTOGRAM from the drop-down list.

3. Choose a histogram type from the menu:

Histogram Description

Charts the luminance or brightness of colors in your

Luminance
video.

Red Charts the red tones in your video.

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Histogram Description

Green Charts the green tones in your video.

Blue Charts the blue tones in your video.

Charts the alpha channel (transparency) in your

Alpha
video.

Luminance/R/G/B Stacks luminance and RGB charts.

Stacks lightness and a/b color charts, allowing you to

analyze your video in the Lab (L*a*b* or L*, a*, b*)
Lightness/a/b
color space. This view is especially useful with the
LAB Adjust video plug-in.

4. Position the cursor in the frame you want to analyze. If the UPDATE SCOPES

WHILE PLAYING button is selected, you can monitor your video during play-
back.

5. Use the histogram to evaluate the colors in your video. The MEAN value Indicates
the average intensity of all pixels in the graph, and the STANDARD DEVIATION
value indicates the average percentage by which pixels in the graph vary from the
MEAN value.

Histogram Description

Underexposed — pixels are concentrated on the left side of

the graph, and the resulting image will appear unnaturally
dark.

Banded — there are sharp changes between the shades of

the selected color. The resulting image will appear to have
sharp transitions between colors instead of smooth gradi-
ents.

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Histogram Description

High contrast — there are high concentrations of pixels in

the darkest and lightest shades of the selected color with
few pixels in the midtones.

Low contrast — most pixels are concentrated in a limited

range of the selected color The resulting image will appear
faded.

Overexposed or clipped — the lightest shades of the selec-

ted color exist in the video, and the resulting image will
appear unnaturally bright and washed out.

Balanced — the graph is fairly well centered within the range

of the selected color, with few sharp transitions between
shades.

The RGB Parade Monitor

The RGB parade monitor in the Video Scopes window displays waveforms for the red,
green, and blue components of your video signal. The monitor plots RGB values from 0-
255.

The parade monitor helps you determine whether the individual RGB components of your
video signal are within limits and whether the total video signal is clipping.

For more information, see Monitoring video with scopes (p. 853)

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | VIDEO SCOPES to toggle the display of the Video
Scopes window.

2. Choose RGB PARADE from the drop-down list.

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3. Position the cursor in the frame you want to analyze. If the UPDATE SCOPES

WHILE PLAYING button is selected, you can monitor your video during play-
back.

4. The waveform monitor displays the RGB values of the video signal. You can switch
between two display modes: SINGLE view and COMBINED view with the drop
down menu.

In SINGLE mode the RGB Parade views displays the intensity of the
three primary color channels ( Red, Green, Blue ) as three separate sec-
tions in the view area.

In COMBINED mode, the RGB Parade views displays the intensity of the
three primary color channels (Red, Green, Blue) combined into a single
section in the view area.
The toggle buttons, R, G and B, is made available to control the vis-
ibility of each color channel in the combined display.

NOTE The mode selection and the visibility toggle settings are
remembered if the RGB Parade view is hidden, the Video Scope
view is closed, and from one VEGAS Pro session to the next.

Hover over the monitor to display the RGB value at the pointer position.

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Video Scope Settings

Click the SETTINGS button in the Video Scopes window to set your display options.
These options adjust the display of data in the Video Scopes window and have no effect on
your data.

Toggle 7.5 IRE setup

If your video hardware will add a 7.5 IRE setup, you can configure the Video Scopes win-
dow so the display will be consistent with an external scope connected to a device that
adds 7.5 IRE setup.

NTSC video in the United States adds 7.5 IRE setup to convert black to 7.5 IRE. Consumer
video hardware typically does not add 7.5 IRE setup, and most professional hardware
allows you to turn 7.5 IRE setup on or off. PAL video and NTSC video in Japan do not add
setup.

Refer to your video hardware documentation to determine whether your hardware adds
7.5 IRE setup.

1. Click the SETTINGS button in the Video Scopes window.

2. Select the 7.5 IRE SETUP checkbox in the Video Scopes Settings dialog.
Black will be displayed as 7.5 in the waveform monitor. If your video hardware
does not add 7.5 setup, clear the check box.

Toggle Studio RGB display

RGB values on your computer can range from 0 to 255. Studio RGB values range from 16 to
235. If you want to limit the display of the Video Scopes window to studio RGB standards,
perform the following steps:

1. Click the SETTINGS button in the Video Scopes window.

2. Select the STUDIO RGB (16 TO 235) checkbox in the Video Scopes Settings dia-
log.

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Whether you need to use the STUDIO RGB (16 TO 235) setting depends on the DV codec
you will use to render your video before printing to tape. Suggested settings follow. Refer
to the codec's documentation to determine whether the STUDIO RGB (16 TO 235) check-
box should be selected.

Codec Studio RGB Setting

Vegas DV On

Microsoft DV Off

Matrox DV Off

MainConcept DV Off

Canopus On

Apple QuickTime DV Off

You can render using a third-party DV codec by choosing a specific codec from the VIDEO
FORMAT drop-down list on the Video tab of the Custom Template dialog.

For more information, see Custom rendering templates (p. 1044)

S-Log and ACES workflow

VEGAS® Pro supports the expanded dynamic range of cameras using S-Log encoding,
such as the Sony PMW-F3 camera. S-Log is a technique for recording the full dynamic
range of the camera, and is not restricted to the limited number of stops available in dis-
play-referenced Rec. 709 encoding. S-Log encoding is not intended for direct viewing or
broadcast, and requires that the shots be graded in post-production to create pleasing out-
put for video or cinema (digital or film).

To support this higher dynamic range, VEGAS Pro supports the Academy Color Encoding
System (ACES) created by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences technology
committee. The ACES color space can encode any color that can be seen and supports
high dynamic range cameras and output devices made today and in the future. Various
input devices (such as cameras) are transformed into the ACES color space using device-
specific Input Device Transforms (IDTs).

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Once transformed into the ACES color space, supported cameras can be intercut with each
other and mixed with Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) in a scene-linear color space
ideal for compositing and color grading. A standard Reference Rendering Transform (RRT)
is applied to the final image and then various device-specific Output Device Transforms
(ODTs) are applied for viewing and file output.

VEGAS Pro uses the OpenColorIO technology developed by Sony Pictures Imageworks.
OpenColorIO is a complete color-management solution geared towards motion picture pro-
duction with an emphasis on visual effects and computer animation. OpenColorIO provides
a straightforward and consistent user experience across all supporting applications while
allowing for sophisticated back-end configuration options suitable for high-end production
usage.

Using OpenColorIO ensures that the results seen in (and output created by) VEGAS Pro are
consistent with other applications supporting OpenColorIO, including Nuke, Mari, Katana,
and Silhouette. Furthermore, if a particular project or editing house wants to work in a dif-
ferent color space, VEGAS Pro supports switching the color space, input transforms, view-
ing transforms, and rendering transforms simply by changing the active OpenColorIO
configuration. Sample configurations for the Sony Pictures Imageworks VFX and animation
pipelines, for example, can be found on the OpenColorIO Web site. For more information
about OpenColorIO, see http://opencolorio.org/.

In order to capture the full dynamic range that the camera is capable of, Sony developed
the S-Log encoding system, which reproportions the pixel encoding values using a log-
arithmic curve to capture greater dynamic range. As seen in the chart below, S-Log cap-
tures many more stops than typical video encoding:

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Here is a scene shot with a Sony PMW-F3 camera without S-Log enabled:

While the foreground is exposed nicely, the background is washed out. With conventional
Rec. 709 video, these levels are all lost, clipped at full white, which you can see in the
Video Scopes window:

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You could use the image as-is, but if you wanted to do any color grading, the clipped levels
would quickly become a problem. For example, if we bring the levels down in post, the
water just gets darker:

This is because traditional video is "display referenced," which means it is made to be

shown directly on a display. No levels outside the monitor's range are captured.

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Capturing a wider dynamic range in the scene would provide more levels to work with
when we're doing color grading. That's exactly what S-Log is designed to do.

Here is the same scene shot with the same PMW-F3 camera, but this time using the SONY
S-LOG1 (F35/F3) color space (viewed here in 8-bit mode):

You can see that it doesn't have any clipping in the histogram (no telltale spike at the right):

However, the picture is very low contrast and is not ready for delivery. When you shoot
with S-Log, you aren't supposed to deliver that image as your final picture. You can view
the image in VEGAS Pro but you must also do post-production work to create the final
image for delivery.

When you unwrap the S-Log encoding into what's called a scene linear color space, you
can't directly view it on a standard display. You need to run it through a reference ren-
dering transform (RRT) that compresses the dynamic range and rolls off the highs and

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lows. The ACES RRT has been designed to be very film-like. When we set this source
media to the SONY S-LOG1 (F35/F3) color space and view it using the ACES RRT, it initially
looks like this, which is quite a bit darker than the regular video:

If we apply some gain to the image using the Brightness and Contrast plug-in, it starts to
look like the regular video again, with a little more high-contrast film look:

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In the previous image, whites are clipped. However, when we bring down the level on the
shot, all of the original dynamic range is still there. In fact, if we take the level down low
enough, we can even see the sun glinting off the waves, which would have been
impossible with the first shot:

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All of the level detail is present for color grading, film-like crossfades, fades to black, and
so on. This is the beauty of S-Log and the ACES scene-linear color space.

Enabling color management in your VEGAS Pro project

VEGAS Pro supports two ACES versions

● ACES version 0.7

● ACES version 1.2

Enabling color management in your project.

1. From the FILE menu, choose PROPERTIES to display the Project Properties win-
dow.

2. In the PIXEL FORMAT list, choose 32-BIT FLOATING POINT (FULL RANGE) to
make the VIEW TRANSFORM setting available.

3. ACES 1.2 is selected by default. Click the drop down arrow in the ACES version
field to switch back to version 0.7 if desired.

4. In the VIEW TRANSFORM list, choose the transform best suited for your display
output.

5. Click OK.
When color management is active, the selected view transform is displayed in the

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VIDEO PREVIEW window.

Specifying the color space for individual shots

The color space setting for media files is used only when color management is enabled for
your project.

1. Select one or more shots in the Project Media window and click the MEDIA

PROPERTIES button to display the Properties window.

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2. On the MEDIA tab, choose a setting in the COLOR SPACE list.

Color Space Description

This is the original ACES color space, linear light, very wide
primaries, very high dynamic range (0.0 – 65504.0). This
ACES2065-1
core ACES color space is used for interchange and archival
(default 1.2)
format Recommended for ACES OpenEXR files conforming
to SMPTE 2065-4.. Uses AP0 primaries.

Wide color gamut log color space, for use in color cor-
rection (“cc” for “color correction”). Also useful for any
ACEScc image processing which cannot handle HDR values (>>1).
Uses AP1 primaries, logarithmic, can go slightly negative
and a little above 1.0. Uses AP1 primaries.

This working color space is very similar to ACEScc , except

that it adds a "toe" to make it closer to traditional "log"
ACEScct curves. The addition of a "toe" results in a more distinct
"milking" or "fogging" of shadows when a lift operation is
applied. Uses AP1 primaries.

A Working Space for CGI Render and Compositing”. Uses

ACEScg
AP1 primaries.

An integer log encoding for on-set preview and on-set look

ACESproxy management. Uses AP1 primaries, logarithmic, range-lim-
ited (clipped to 0.0-1.0 code value legal range)

ACES
Use ACES for OpenEXR files in the ACES color space.
(default 0.7)

3. Click OK.

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Specifying the color space in a custom rendering template

The color space setting for custom rendering templates is used only when color man-
agement is enabled for your project.

1. From the FILE menu, choose RENDER AS to display the Render As window.

2. Specify a location and name for the file you want to save.

3. Select a format from the FORMATS box and a Template from the TEMPLATES
box.

4. Click the CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATE button to display the Custom Template window.

5. Type a name for the template in the TEMPLATE box.

6. On the PROJECT tab, choose a setting in the COLOR SPACE list.

7. Click the SAVE TEMPLATE button .

8. Click OK to return to the Render As window.

360° video
In a 360° video, the action is recorded in all directions simultaneously. 360° video can be
shot with special cameras that contain two 180° lenses, or by creating an array of several
normal cameras to record in different directions. In the simplest array, there are two cam-
eras with super wide angle lenses that record in two directions; better setups use six or
more cameras. The result is that the viewer can view "around" him or herself by determ-
ining the view direction.

To do so on a PC, drag the mouse during playback. On mobile devices, the built-in ori-
entation sensor can be used: The view direction follows the device's rotation. In com-
bination with VR glasses or a smartphone attachment such as Samsung Gear VR or Google
Cardboard, it is possible to be completely submerged in a virtual environment with a 360°
video. 360° videos are supported by the most important video platforms like YouTube and
Vimeo.

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Technically, 360° videos are regular, two-dimensional videos. The images of the sphere
surface around the camera are displayed distorted, similarly to how the earth's surface is
projected onto flat maps of the world. This results in relatively large videos in order to
provide enough resolution along the strongly distorted edges after rectification.

Preparing a project for 360° movies

To create a 360° video or discover the interactive capacity of recorded video footage you
have to set the project to a 360° project. To do so, select the PROPERTIES... option from

the FILE menu or click the Project Properties button on the main toolbar .

In the PROJECT PROPERTIES dialog, on the VIDEO tab, check the 360° OUTPUT option.

This serves two purposes:

● In the Video Preview window, a special pan&scan 360° mode becomes available

to change the viewpoint, the part of the 360° panorama that is shown in the video
monitor.
● When rendering or uploading the video, special properties are set in the output

video file to make sure the video is recognized as 360° by the player.

The Video Preview window in 360° mode

A 360° video is a normal 2-dimensional video where the content of the 360° sphere is
mapped on a rectangular surface.

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Click the 360° Preview Button to switch the Preview window into 360° mode, where
you can interactively adjust the perspective directly in the Preview window using the
mouse.

Drag with the mouse in the Preview window to change the direction. Use the moose wheel
to zoom in and out the video.

NOTE The 360° mode for the Preview Window is not automatically activated when
switching a project to 360° because sometimes it is necessary to see the video in its ori-
ginal rectificated form for fine-tunig the stitching.

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Stitching
Stitching describes the process of combining images from individual cameras or lenses to
create one, large image and projecting the spherical image onto the rectangular surface of
the video. While more advanced cameras can perform their own stitching or come with a
dedicated stitching software, most simple cameras with only two lenses create a video
which needs to be stitched together to create a true 360° video.

Unstitched video image from two 180° fish eye lenses on a 360° camera

These cameras often also include stitching software, but the more elegant solution is to
perform stitching directly in VEGAS Pro. The stitching is performed by the video effect
plug-in DUAL-FISH-EYE-STITCHING.

This is how it works:

1. Make sure, the 360° Preview mode is switched off ( button in the Preview Win-
dow toolbar). Adjusting the view point in the preview does not work when an
effect dialog is open and you will need to have a look at the whole video to adjust
stitching.

2. Apply the effect on the media or event level. The video preview will now look like
this:

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As you can see, some fine adjustment has to be made to get a perfect result:

3. Adjust the FIELD OF VIEW slider, until the picture merges seamlessly at the edges
(1).

4. As a result of the fish-eye optics the light is quite low at the border of the picture
of each lens which results in a visual vignette effect at these borders (2). Click on
the triangle near IMAGE VIGNETTING and adjust the INTENSITY and RANGE
sliders to minimize the effect. For a comparison, you can switch off vignette
removal by deactivation the REMOVE VIGNETTING check box. You can addi-
tionally experiment with the parameters under REFINEMENT for a perfect result,
but in most cases this is not necessary. The image should now look like this:

5. Switch 360° preview mode on again and enjoy your panorama.

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TIP You will find presets for several popular 360° cameras with two lenses. For other
camera models, you can change the parameters below

Exporting 360° videos

To maintain the ability to watch the 360° video in a 360° capable player it is important that
the 360° OUTPUT option in the PROJECT PROPERTIES is activated. Upload your video to
the video platforms to get a 360° video on the platform.

360° Video Stabilization

There is a dedicated plug-in to stabilize 360° video footage. For general usage information
regarding the Video Stabilization plug-in see Stabilizing Video Clips (p. 347). In the 360°
variant of the plug-in, there are some additional parameters to control the stabilization.

You can select a preset for a stereoscopic model for VR180 3D

Stereoscopy: 360° video, NONE, TOP-BOTTOM and SIDE-BY-SIDE are avail-
able.

You can exclude either the North or South Pole of the picture or
Exclude views: both from the analysis, as these areas are heavily distorted by the
equirectangular projection and hence will also distort the analysis.

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NOTE The Professional and Expert modes are not available for 360° video stabilization

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Audio Editing

Beat Detection
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The Beat Detection tool analyzes a music file (or music in a video file) and marks highlights,
syncopated hits, drum rolls, or any “interesting” events in the low-mid and low-end of the
audio frequency range. The markers serve as snap objects, so when you add the file to
your timeline you can easily edit your video to the musical beats.

The Beat Detection tool works on any audio file, not just music. It can be used to locate sig-
nificant audio events in a video file, such as a door slam or an explosion. The tool analyzes
the mid- to low-frequency audio spectrum, detecting and marking any audio that provides
extra energy in those frequency ranges.

EXAMPLE
● Editing a music video to sync with the beat of the music.

● Highlighting significant audio events in a video clip for precise editing.

● Identifying and marking significant moments in any audio file.

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Using the Beat Detection Tool

1. Add a Music File to Your Timeline. This can be a stand-alone audio file or a video
file with music in the audio portion.

2. Right-click the timeline clip event that holds the music file.

3. Choose Beat Detection from the menu.

The media file opens in the Trimmer window along with a Sensitivity dialog box.
Markers appear in the Trimmer, indicating detected beats

4. If there are too many markers, adjust the Sensitivity slider to control the number
of markers.
Increase Sensitivity to reduce the number of markers.

5. Click OK once the desired sensitivity is achieved.

The markers from the Trimmer now appear in the timeline clip event.

NOTE
These markers can be used as snap objects for precise editing.

Trim the edges of the timeline clip event to snap to these markers. Events on other
tracks in your project will also snap to these markers, aiding in synchronized editing.

TIP You can configure your trimmer toolbar to have a shortcut for the beat detection.

For more information, see Trimmer Transport Tool Bar (p. 315)

Save markers for use in another project

Use markers to synchronize video clips precisely with the beats of a music track.

Markers are not automatically saved with the media file. Save markers if you plan to reuse
the same audio file in different projects to avoid rerunning beat detection.

1. In the Trimmer window, click the More Buttons button.

2. Select Save Markers/Regions from the list.

VEGAS Pro embeds the marker metadata into the file if the file type supports it. If the file
type does not support metadata, VEGAS Pro creates a sidecar file that holds the metadata.

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Tempo Detection
*new since VEGAS Pro 22*

The Tempo Detection tool analyzes a piece of music (or the music in a video file) to determ-
ine the tempo and automatically adjusts your project properties to match the detected
tempo. This feature is particularly useful for editing projects in time with the music, as it
allows you to set your timeline ruler to measures and beats and use the grid for seamless
cuts and edits.

EXAMPLE
● Editing music videos to the beat of the music

● Synchronizing video cuts to musical beats

● Creating rhythm-based visual effects

Using Tempo Detection

1. Add the music file to your project timeline.

Alternatively, you can add it to your Project Media list without adding it to your
timeline if you only need to establish the tempo without placing the file in your
timeline.

2. Click the Project Media tab.

3. Right-click the music file in the Project Media list.

4. Select Tempo Detection from the context menu.

The Tempo Detection dialog box opens and displays the detected tempo.

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Dialog Element Explanation

Displays the detected tempo of the music

Detected tempo
piece in BPM (Beats per Minute).

Sets the project tempo to the detected

Set as project tempo
tempo.

Set ruler time format to Changes the ruler format to measures and
measures and beats beats.

Activates the metronome to count the beats

Activate metronome
during playback.

Enables grid snapping to facilitate precise edit-

Enable snapping to grid
ing at measures and beats.

5. Click OK.

Verify Project Properties

1. Go to File | Properties.

2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Ruler tab.

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3. Verify that the project tempo matches the detected tempo.

4. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.

Notice the timeline ruler now lists measures and beats instead of frames.

Adjust Timeline Ruler and Grid

1. Trim the end of the timeline clip event to align with grid markers, which act as
snap points.

2. To adjust grid detail, go to Options | Grid Spacing and choose the desired beat
resolution.
By default, the grid shows up only at the first beat of each measure.
For example, if you want a grid line at every beat of each measure, choose Quarter
Notes from the cascading menu.

Aligning the First Beat with the Timeline Ruler

EXAMPLE Say you want the music to start at beat 1.1 of the timeline ruler. That’s at the
very beginning of your timeline, and if the music in your event doesn’t start at the very
beginning of the event, your music won’t line up with the ruler.

1. Ensure the first beat of your music file lines up with beat 1 in the ruler bar.

2. Trim the start of your event so it starts exactly at the first beat of the music.

3. If trimming is not an option (for instance, maybe the music actually starts a beat or
two before the actual first beat of the music—known as a musical pick-up), click
to place the cursor directly on the waveform at the first beat.

NOTE If necessary, disable Quantize to Frames to place your cursor accur-

ately on the waveform. Remember to re-enable it afterward to avoid issues.

4. Right-click the Timeline Ruler and select Set Time at Cursor.

5. Type the beat position (e.g., 1.1 in this example) into the text field and press Enter.

6. Verify that your ruler shows the correct measure and beat at the cursor location
(e.g., measure 1, beat 1) and displays negative time before that location. This

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ensures your ruler lines up with your beats, allowing you to edit with confidence
that you are editing to important beats in the music.

Recording audio
VEGAS Pro can record audio into multiple mono or stereo tracks while simultaneously play-
ing back existing audio and video tracks. You are limited only by the performance of your
computer system and audio hardware. Audio is recorded to a media file on your computer
and into an event on the timeline.

You can record into an empty track, a time selection, an event, or a combination of time
and event selection. You can also record multiple takes for an event so you can maintain
multiple versions of an event that you can play back and edit.

TIP
● Select a media bin before recording if you want to automatically add your

recorded audio to a media bin. For more information, see Sorting your
media with bins (p. 159)
● To save track effects with your recorded files, create an effects package of
the track effect settings and apply the chain to the event as a non-real time

event effect. For more information, see Sorting your media with bins (p.
159) and Applying non-real-time event effects (p. 1007)
● Press Alt+Down Arrow during playback to move the edit cursor to the playback
cursor.
● When the RECORD BROADCAST WAVE FORMAT checkbox is selected on the
Audio tab of the Preferences dialog, VEGAS Pro records Broadcast Wave
Format (.bwf) metadata when recording .wav files. You can view this inform-
ation on the General tab of the Properties dialog for an event.
Included in the .bwf metadata is a TIME REFERENCE value. This item tracks
where on the timeline the file was recorded. When you import a recorded .bwf
file, it is added to the timeline at the same location it was originally recorded.
The originator (VEGAS Pro) and originator reference (a unique ID number) are
also recorded.

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IMPORTANT When input monitoring is on during audio recording, audio effects chains

that contain non-in-place plug-ins are displayed in yellow ( ) to indicate that auto-
matic plug-in delay compensation is being used. Chains that cannot be used for live

monitoring are automatically bypassed and are displayed in red ( ).

Recording audio
1. Connect an audio source to your sound card's input.

2. Position the cursor where you want to start recording.

3. Select the ARM FOR RECORD buttons on the tracks where you want to record.
Arming a track enables it for recording.
When a track is armed, the track meter displays the track's level. If input mon-
itoring is not on, the meter displays the level of your input source. If input mon-
itoring is turned on, the meter shows the level of the input source plus the track
effects chain.

4. Click the RECORD button on the Transport bar to start recording.

5. To stop recording, click the RECORD button again or click the STOP button on
the Transport bar. The Recorded Files dialog is displayed.

6. Use the Recorded Files dialog to confirm the file name and location of your recor-
ded audio. Click DELETE or DELETE ALL if you do not want to save the recorded
files, or click RENAME to change the file's name.

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7. Click DONE to close the Recorded Files dialog. Your recorded file is displayed as a
new event in the timeline, and the recorded file is added to the Project Media win-
dow.

Recording multiple takes

If LOOP PLAYBACK is turned on for your project, playback will loop during recording
and a take will be created each time playback returns to the start of the loop region. The
last take recorded is set as the active take.

A region is created to indicate the beginning and ending of each take in the recorded file.
These regions are not part of your project, but are visible in the Trimmer window.

For more information, see Using the Trimmer (p. 314) and Using takes as alternate ver-
sions of events (p. 353)

Recording a new take for an audio event

You can record into an audio event by selecting it. The record time is determined by the
event's length.

1. Select the event and position the cursor at the beginning of the event.

2. Select the ARM FOR RECORD button on the track that contains the event.

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3. Click the RECORD button on the Transport bar to start recording.

4. To stop recording, click the RECORD button again or click the STOP button on
the Transport bar. The Recorded Files dialog is displayed.

NOTE

Select the LOOP PLAYBACK button on the Transport bar to record multiple
takes within the selected event.

The last take recorded is set as the active take for the event.

For more information, see Using takes as alternate versions of events (p.
353)

Recording into a time selection or event (punch-in)

You can record a new take into a selected audio event using a time selection. This option
provides room for pre-roll and post-roll during recording.

1. Select the event you want to punch into:

● If you want to punch into the middle of an event, select the portion of the

event you want to replace and press S to split the event. For more
information, see Splitting events (p. 310)
● Select multiple events to create multiple punch-in and -out points.

2. Create a time selection to set the amount of pre-roll and post-roll and position the
cursor at the beginning of the time selection. The edges of the selected events
serve as the punch-in and punch-out points:

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3. Select the LOOP PLAYBACK button if you want to record multiple takes of
each event. A new take will be created each time the cursor passes through the
selection.

4. Select the ARM FOR RECORD button on the track that contains the event.

5. Click the RECORD button on the Transport bar to start recording.

If input monitoring is turned on, the track's original audio is played until the cursor
reaches the selected event. When the cursor plays through the selected event,
you'll hear your recording input, and the track's original audio is played again
when the cursor moves past the selected event.

6. To stop recording, click the RECORD button again or click the STOP button on
the Transport bar. The Recorded Files dialog is displayed.

7. Use the Recorded Files dialog to confirm the file name and location of your recor-
ded audio. Click DELETE or DELETE ALL if you do not want to save the recorded
files, or click RENAME to change the file's name.

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8. Click DONE to close the Recorded Files dialog.

The last take recorded is set as the active take for the event. For more inform-
ation, see Using takes as alternate versions of events (p. 353)

TIP When performing punch-in recording, recording occurs underneath the

pre- and post-roll. If your subject starts early, for example, you can adjust the
event to uncover the recording. Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging the crossfaded

area to slip the crossfade in either direction. For more information, see
Adjusting an event's length (p. 327) and Slipping and sliding events (p. 336)

Changing the recording device and attributes for recording

audio

The RECORD INPUT button in a track header chooses the audio input that will be used
to record to a track and allows you to configure input monitoring.

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To choose your recording input, click the RECORD INPUT button , choose an audio
device from the menu, choose MONO or STEREO from the submenu, and then choose an
input.

To record from an input bus, click the RECORD INPUT button , choose INPUT BUSSES
from the menu, and then choose an input bus from the submenu.

For more information, see Using input busses (p. 944)

Monitoring audio levels

While you're recording, a responsive meter is displayed in the track header to monitor the
incoming signal level of the selected recording device. It is important that you record with
the highest signal possible without clipping.

When a track is armed, the track meter displays the track's input level. If input monitoring is
not on, the meter displays the level of your input source. If input monitoring is turned on,
the meter shows the level of the input source plus the track effects chain.

A reading of 0 dB is the maximum for a digital signal. Clipping occurs when the incoming
signal is too high to be represented as a digital value. The result is distortion in the record-
ing. A clipped signal will be indicated by a red CLIP warning at the top of the meters.

Right-click the meters and choose a command from the shortcut menu to adjust the dis-
play of the meters.

Toggling record input monitoring

If you're using a low-latency audio device, VEGAS Pro can perform record input monitoring
so you can hear your recording signal with real-time track effects.

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To turn on input monitoring, click the RECORD INPUT button and choose INPUT
MONITORING ON or INPUT MONITORING AUTO from the submenu. During recording, your
signal will be played back with the current track effects chain, but a dry (unprocessed) sig-
nal is recorded.

When INPUT MONITORING AUTO is selected, you will hear the input monitor signal when
playback is stopped and during recording. If you're recording into selected events, you'll
hear the input monitor signal only when the cursor passes over the selected events.

When INPUT MONITORING ON is selected, the behavior is similar to INPUT MONITORING

AUTO mode, but you will always hear the input monitor during recording—monitoring is not
toggled on and off when recording in to a selected event.

For more information, see Adding audio effects (p. 1001)

NOTE Your ability to monitor effects in real time is dependent on your computer's per-
formance. Effect automation envelopes are bypassed during record monitoring.

Using the metronome

From the Options menu, choose METRONOME before recording.

When you start recording, the metronome will start playing at the tempo specified on the
Ruler tab of the Project Properties dialog.

To change the sounds used by the metronome, use the Audio tab in the Preferences dia-
log.

NOTE The metronome's sound is not mixed in the final rendering of the project.

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MORE INFORMATION
● Audio Tab (p. 1135)

● Setting project properties (p. 72)

5.1 surround projects

Create a 5.1-channel mix to wrap a listener in your remixes or prepare audio for DVD-Video
or 5.1-channel music projects.

5.1 surround is a standard audio format consisting of five full-range channels and a low-fre-
quency effects (LFE) channel.

The five full-range channels are reproduced by left, right, and center speakers positioned
in front of the listener and left and right surround speakers positioned behind the listener.
The LFE channel can be routed to the main speakers or to a subwoofer that can be posi-
tioned almost anywhere.

The center channel is typically used to lock dialogue or sounds to a video screen. The LFE
channel is generally routed to a subwoofer to enhance low audio frequencies for effects
such as explosions or crashes. Audio in this channel is limited to a range of approximately
25 Hz to 120 Hz.

Setting up your 5.1 surround project

Use the Project Properties dialog to set up your project for 5.1 surround.

To preview a 5.1 surround project, you'll need the following hardware:

● A 5.1-compatible sound card.

—or—
● A sound card with three stereo outputs.

—or—
● Three stereo sound cards.

● Six powered speakers or six passive speakers with asix-channel amplifier.

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Setting your project to 5.1 surround mode

1. From the File menu, choose PROPERTIES.

2. Select the Audio tab.

3. From the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list, choose 5.1 SURROUND.

4. Select the ENABLE LOW-PASS FILTER ON LFE checkbox if you want to apply a
low-pass filter to each track that is assigned to the LFE channel. Enter a fre-
quency in the CUTOFF FREQUENCY FOR LOW-PASS FILTER box to set the fre-
quency above which audio will be ignored by the LFE channel.
Applying a low-pass filter approximates the bass-management system in a 5.1
decoder and ensures that you're sending only low-frequency audio to the LFE
channel.

5. Click OK.
The track headers and Master Bus window switch to 5.1 surround mode.

Routing the master bus outputs

When you're working in 5.1 surround mode, you'll need to indicate where to send the out-
put from your 5.1-channel mix.

Setting your default routing

Use the Audio Device tab of the Preferences dialog to set default routing for 5.1 surround

projects. For more information, see Audio Device Tab (p. 1141)

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES. The Preferences dialog is dis-
played.

2. Select the Audio Device tab.

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3. Choose a device from the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE drop-down list. Choose a device
type other than the Microsoft Sound Mapper if you want to choose specific
devices for playing each of the three stereo pairs.

NOTE Please refer to your sound card's documentationto determine the type
of driver you need to use for surround output.

4. From the DEFAULT STEREO AND FRONT PLAYBACK DEVICE drop-down list,
choose the device where your front speakers are connected.

5. From the DEFAULT REAR PLAYBACK DEVICE drop-down list, choose the device
where your rear speakers are connected.

6. From the DEFAULT CENTER AND LFE PLAYBACK DEVICE drop-down list, choose
the device where your center speaker and subwoofer are connected.

Overriding default device routing

You can override the default device routing at any time using the AUDIO DEVICE

SELECTOR button on the Surround Master control.

NOTE Please refer to your sound card's documentation to determine the type of driver
you need to use for surround output.

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1. Open the Master Bus window.

2. Click the AUDIO DEVICE SELECTOR button , choose a channel from the menu,
and choose an output device from the submenu.

3. Repeat step 2 for each pair of channels.

Connecting your amplifier and speakers

Using a 5.1-compatible sound card

● Connect powered speakers to your sound card's outputs as indicated by your

sound card's documentation.
● Connect your sound card's front, rear, and center/subwoofer outputs to the appro-
priate inputs on a 6-channel amplifier/home theater receiver. Connect front, rear,
center, and LFE speakers to the amplifier.

Using a sound card with three stereo outputs

● Connect powered speakers to your sound card's outputs where you have routed
each of the pairs of channels. The left channel of the Center/LFE pair is the center
channel; the right channel is the LFE channel.
● Connect your sound card's outputs to the appropriate inputs on a 6-channel amp-
lifier/home theater receiver. Connect front, rear, center, and LFE speakers to the
amplifier.

NOTE The audio cables you'll need will depend on your specific hardware. For a typical
application, you'll need three cables: each will have a 3.5 mm stereo plug on one end
and dual RCA connectors on the other.

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Using three stereo sound cards

● Connect powered speakers to your sound cards' outputs where you have routed
each of the pairs of channels. The left channel of the Center/LFE pair is the center
channel; the right channel is the LFE channel.
● Connect your sound cards' outputs to the appropriate inputs on a 6-channel amp-
lifier/home theater receiver. Connect front, rear, center, and LFE speakers to the
amplifier.

IMPORTANT Multiple sound card setups may not work with ASIO drivers. You can only
use a single ASIO driver at a time, and some ASIO drivers can conflict with other audio
driver models (such as WDM and wave drivers).

NOTE The audio cables you'll need will depend on your specific hardware. For a typical
application, you'll need three cables: each will have a 3.5 mm stereo plug on one end
and dual RCA connectors on the other.

5.1 surround panning and mixing

After you've set up your project for 5.1 surround mixing, the track headers and Mixing Con-
sole switch to 5.1 surround mode, and you're ready to start panning.

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | SURROUND PANNER to toggle the display of the Surround Pan-
ner window. Use the Surround Panner window to pan tracks, busses, and assignable
effects chains.

If you have a joystick, you can use it to control surround panning. A force-feedback joy-
stick such as the Microsoft® SideWinder® Force Feedback 2 joystick can add a tactile ele-
ment to your editing sessions.

NOTE Only the Surround Master bus accepts 5.1 channel inputs. If you assign a track to
another bus, the Mixing Console will send a stereo output to the bus, and you can per-
form surround panning at the bus level.

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TIP When you apply effects to a 5.1 surround project, you can use distinct plug-in set-
tings for each channel (separate EQ settings for the front and surround speakers, for
example) using effect automation. Add multiple instances of the plug-in to the track
effects chain and select the ENABLE check boxes in the FX Automation Chooser for the
channels you want each instance of the plug-in to affect.

IMPORTANT Surround panning is not available for tracks or busses that are routed to a
hardware output.

MORE INFORMATION
Using a joystick for panning, adjusting controls, and color correction (p. 504)

Automating audio effect parameters (p. 1086)

Muting or soloing channels

Muting a channel ensures that no audio will be played through that channel. For example,
you could mute the center channel if you want to produce a stereo image at the center
listening position, or you might want to solo the center channel when you're working with
dialogue.

1. Double-click the surround panner on the track or bus you want to pan. The Sur-
round Panner window is displayed.

2. Click the speaker icons to mute or include channels.

TIP Hold Ctrl while clicking a speaker icon to solo the channel.

Adjusting volume and send levels

Adjusting track volume

You can adjust track volume using the VOL fader in the track header the same way you do
in stereo projects.

The fader in the track header can function as a trim control that adjusts the overall volume
of the track, or it can adjust track volume automation settings.

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The trim level is added to the volume automation settings so your envelope is preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has the same
effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header if you want to adjust
trim levels, or select the button if you want to adjust volume automation.

Adjusting assignable effects send or bus send levels

You can adjust send levels for busses or assignable effects chains using the multipurpose
fader in the track header the same way you do in stereo projects. Click the fader label and
choose an assignable effects chain or bus from the menu. The fader in the track header
can function as a trim control that adjusts the overall send level of the track, or it can adjust
send level automation settings.

Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header if you want to adjust
trim levels, or select the button if you want to adjust volume automation.

Adjusting channel levels

Use the Surround Master bus control in the Master Bus window to adjust the individual
levels of the 5.1 channels. The faders in the Surround Master bus control can function as
trim controls that adjust the overall level of each channel, or you can automate the master
volume of the Surround Master bus (individual channel levels cannot be automated).

Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header if you want to adjust
trim levels, or select the button if you want to adjust volume automation.

Adjusting the center channel volume

Adjusting the volume of the center channel can help emphasize dialogue or balance the
mix. You can adjust the center channel volume trim level or automation settings.

The trim level is added to surround panning keyframes so your keyframe settings are pre-
served, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has
the same effect as decreasing the center channel level by 3 dB in every keyframe.

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Adjusting the center channel trim level

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button on the track or bus you want to
adjust.

2. Double-click the surround panner on the track. The Surround Panner window is
displayed.

3. Drag the CENTER fader to boost or attenuate the volume of the center channel.
When the fader is set to 0.0 dB, no gain is applied.

NOTE The CENTER fader is not displayed if the center channel is muted. Click

the centerchannel icon to unmute the channel.

Automating the center channel level with keyframes

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button on the track or bus you want to
adjust.

2. Double-click the surround panner on the track. The Surround Panner window is
displayed.

3. Select a keyframe to adjust its center channel level or click to position the cursor
where you want to create a new keyframe.

4. Drag the CENTER fader to boost or attenuate the volume of the center channel.
When the fader is set to 0.0 dB, no gain is applied. The fader thumb is displayed

as a in automation mode.

NOTE The CENTER fader is not displayed if the center channel is muted. Click

the centerchannel icon to unmute the channel.

Panning a track or bus

You can perform surround panning in two ways:

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● Pan tracks individually using the Surround Panner window.

● Route tracks to channel strips in the Mixing Console (busses or assignable effect
chains) and pan the channel strips using the Surround Panner window. From the
View menu, choose SHOW BUS TRACKS to display bus tracks at the bottom of the
track view.
When a track is routed to a bus other than the surround master, you can use the
PAN slider on the track header to adjust the stereo track's contribution to the sur-
round panner on the bus.

For more information, see Assigning tracks to busses (p. 936)

The surround panner can function as a trim control that adjusts the overall panning of the
track, or it can adjust track panning automation settings. Click the AUTOMATION

SETTINGS button in the track or bus and select AUTOMATION SETTINGS to adjust sur-
round panning keyframes, or deselect the command to adjust trim levels.

The trim level is added to the pan automation settings so your keyframes are preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -9% left has the
same effect as moving every keyframe 9% to the left.

IMPORTANT Panning controls can adjust automation (dynamic) settings, or they can
function as trim (nonautomated) controls. If your automation is not behaving as expec-
ted, you may have applied a trim value that is offsetting your automation settings.

When the surround panner is set to adjust trim levels, it is displayed as a . When it is set

to adjust automation levels, it is displayed as a .

Adjusting panning trim levels

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track or bus.

2. Double-click the surround panner on the track or bus to display the Surround
Panner window:

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3. Drag the pan point in the Surround Panner window to position the sound within
the sound field. Shading is drawn to indicate the output from each channel.
● Double-click the pan point to reset it to the front-center listening position.

● Double-click in the Surround Panner window to move the pan point to the
point you click.

●
To constrain the motion of the pan point, click the button to toggle

through MOVE FREELY , MOVE LEFT/RIGHT ONLY and MOVE

FRONT/BACK ONLY modes.

TIP You can also use the track surround panner in the track header to pan your track.
Keyboard and mouse shortcuts can help you position the pan point quickly and accur-
ately. For more information, see Keyboard shortcuts (p. 1238)

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Automating panning with keyframes

You can automate panning by adding keyframes. Keyframes are similar to envelope points
in that they mark specific locations in the track where settings change. However, unlike
envelope points, keyframes are displayed below a track:

NOTE
● Use bus tracks to add panning keyframes to busses. From the View menu,
choose SHOW BUS TRACKS to display bus tracks at the bottom of the track
view. For more information, see Audio bus tracks (p. 407)
● Center-channel gain cannot be automated.

● Muting and soloing channels cannot be automated.

1. Select the track (or bus track) you want to pan.

2. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track or bus.

3. From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ENVELOPES, and then choose SURROUND
PAN KEYFRAMES from the submenu. An additional row appears below the track
with a single keyframe positioned at the beginning of the project. This keyframe
represents the current panning settings for the track.

TIP To hide panning keyframes without removing them from your project,
choose SHOW AUDIO ENVELOPES from the View menu, and then choose
SURROUND PAN KEYFRAMES from the submenu.

4. Click to position the cursor where you want to begin panning the track.

5. Pan your track:

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a. Double-click the surround panner on the track or bus to display the Sur-
round Panner window:

b. Drag the pan point in the Surround Panner window to position the sound
within the sound field. Shading is drawn to indicate the output from each
channel, and a keyframe is added below the track.
● Double-click the pan point to reset it to the front-center listening pos-
ition.
● Double-click in the Surround Panner window to move the pan point to
the point you click.

●
To constrain the motion of the pan point, click the button to toggle

through MOVE FREELY , MOVE LEFT/RIGHT ONLY and MOVE

FRONT/BACK ONLY modes.

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TIP You can also use the surround panner in the track header to pan your
track. Keyboard and mouse shortcuts can help you position the pan point
quickly and accurately. For more information, see Keyboard shortcuts (p.
1238)

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add as many panning keyframes as necessary. The Sur-
round Panner window draws the panning path:

7. If you have two or more keyframes, you can drag the SMOOTHNESS slider to
adjust the interpolation curve between them. Adjusting the curve affects per-
ceived motion of sound within the sound field: a setting of 0 produces linear
motion from one keyframe to the next. Increasing the setting produces a curved
path.
If you want to adjust temporal interpolation how the pan occurs over time right-
click a keyframe and choose a new keyframe type from the shortcut menu.

Adjusting panning keyframes

If you automated panning for a track or bus, a keyframe is displayed in the timeline (directly
below the track) for each pan setting. You can move, copy, and change fade types from
the timeline.

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IMPORTANT
Panning controls can adjust automation (dynamic) settings, or they can function as trim
(nonautomated) controls. If your automation is not behaving as expected, you may
have applied a trim value that is offsetting your automation settings.

When the surround panner is set to adjust trim levels, it is displayed as a . When it is

set to adjust automation levels, it is displayed as a .

Editing a keyframe

1. Double-click a keyframe to open the Surround Panner window.

2. Drag the pan point to position the sound within the sound field.

3. Adjust the SMOOTHNESS slider as necessary to adjust the curve between key-
frames.

TIP You can also edit a keyframe by selecting the keyframe and dragging the pan point
in the track or bus surround panner.

Adding keyframes

Double-click in the keyframe bar to add a keyframe to the timeline. The new keyframe will
use the same settings and interpolation curve as the previous keyframe.

Deleting keyframes

Right-click a keyframe and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Moving keyframes

Drag the keyframe to a new position on the timeline.

Copy keyframes

Hold Ctrl while dragging a keyframe to copy it.

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Change the fade curve between keyframes

If you want to adjust temporal interpolation—how the pan occurs over time—right-click a
keyframe and choose a new keyframe type from the shortcut menu.

If you want to adjust the perceived motion of sound within the sound field, drag the
SMOOTHNESS slider to adjust the interpolation curve between keyframes. a
SMOOTHNESS setting of 0 simulates linear motion from one keyframe to the next. Increas-
ing the setting produces a curved path.

Looks
Command Description
Like

LINEAR
Panning is interpolated in a linear path.

FAST
Panning is interpolated in a fast logarithmic path.

SLOW
Panning is interpolated in a slow logarithmic path.

SMOOTH
Panning is interpolated along a smooth, natural curve.

SHARP
Panning is interpolated along a sharp curve.

HOLD
No interpolation will take place. The keyframe's settings
will be maintained until the next keyframe.

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Routing audio to the low-frequency effects (LFE) channel

Perform either of the following actions to send audio to the low-frequency effects (LFE)
channel:
● Click the button in the Surround Panner window to switch to LFE mode.

●
Right-click the surround panner on the track or Mixing Console channel strip
and choose LFE ONLY from the shortcut menu.

To return to normal surround panning, click the button in the Surround Panner window
again or right-click the surround panner and choose SURROUND PAN from the shortcut
menu.

TIP Select the ENABLE LOW-PASS FILTER ON LFE checkbox on the Audio tab of the
Project Properties dialog if you want to apply a low-pass filter to each track or bus that
is assigned to the LFE channel. Enter a frequency in the CUTOFF FREQUENCY FOR
LOW-PASS FILTER box to set the frequency above which audio will be ignored by the
LFE channel, and choose a setting from the LOW-PASS FILTER QUALITY drop-down
list to determine the sharpness of filter's rolloff curve. BEST produces the sharpest
curve. For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

NOTE Applying a low-pass filter approximates the bass-management system in a 5.1

decoder and ensures that you're sending only low-frequency audio to the LFE channel.

IMPORTANT Before rendering your surround project, check your surround authoring
application's documentation to determine its required audio format. Some encoders
require a specific low-pass filter cutoff frequency and rolloff, and your encoder may
require that no filter be applied before encoding.

Changing the pan mode

Right-click within the Surround Panner window (or right-click a surround panner on a
track or bus), choose PAN TYPE from the shortcut menu, and then choose a pan type from
the submenu. For more information about panning modes, see Audio panning modes (p.

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908)

NOTE The selected panning mode is also used for surround panning keyframes.

Using the grid to monitor panning

The grid in the Surround Panner window provides a visual indication of how your panning
will sound. The grid spacing changes to match the current panning mode.

The vertical lines represent the points where the left-to-right signal ratio is 6 dB, 0 dB, and
-6 dB respectively: at the far-left line, the left channel is 6.0 dB louder than the right chan-
nel.

The horizontal lines represent the points where the front-to-rear signal ratio is 6 dB, 0 dB,
and -6 dB respectively. As you adjust the CENTER fader, the lines will move forward or
back to compensate for the center-channel gain.

NOTE The grid assumes that you're using a correctly set-up surround system (matched
speakers and ideal positioning). Variations in your monitoring system will cause incon-
sistencies between the graph and perceived output.

Audio panning modes

When you pan stereo audio tracks, 5.1 surround tracks, or busses, you can right-click the
fader handle (or surround panner) and choose a pan type to change the panning model.

TIP If you want to set the default pan type for new tracks, set a track's pan type, and
then use the Set Default Track Properties dialog to set that track's pan type as the
default. For more information, see Setting default track properties (p. 426)

NOTE The selected panning mode is also used for track-level pan envelopes. For more
information, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

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Mode Description

This mode is most useful for panning stereo files. As you pan across
the stereo field, the stereo image appears to move across the speak-
ers. As you pan toward either side, the signal from the opposite chan-
nel is added to the channel you are panning toward until at the
extreme both channels are sent to a single channel at full volume.
Add Chan-
nels This mode uses a linear panning curve.

IMPORTANT You can introduce clipping when channels are added.

Monitor the meters in the Master Bus window and adjust the track
volume accordingly.

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Mode Description

In a stereo project, this mode can help you adjust the relative signal
levels of the channels in stereo source material. As you pan from the
center to either side, the opposite channel begins at the specified cen-
ter value (0 dB -3 dB, or -6 dB), and decays to -infinity. The signal in
the side you are panning toward progresses from the specified center
value (0 dB -3 dB, or -6 dB) to 0 dB.

This panning mode uses a linear panning curve.

For example, when you pan fully right, the right channel is played at 0
dB and the left channel is not audible. As you pan to the center, each
channel is attenuated to the specified center value (0 dB -3 dB, or -6
dB). As you pan to the left, the left channel is played at 0 dB, and the
Balance (0 right channel is not audible.
dB center)

Balance (-
3 dB cen-
ter)

Balance (-
6 dB cen-
ter)
With the BALANCE (0 DB CENTER) setting, no gain or cut is applied
when you're panned to the center, which can make the center seem
louder.

With the BALANCE (-3 DB CENTER) setting, a -3 dB cut is applied

when you're panned to the center.

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Mode Description

Panning in a 5.1 surround project follows the same rules: as you pan
from the center to any channel in a 5.1 surround project, the signal in
the channel you are panning toward progresses from the specified
center value to 0 dB. The signal in the channel you are panning away
from begins at the specified center value and decays to -infinity.

This mode is most useful for panning monaural source material. In this
mode, sound will maintain its volume when you pan across channels.

If you pan a stereo file 100% R, only the right channel of your media file
is played, and this channel is sent to both output channels. If you con-
tinue to pan to the left, the left channel is gradually added to the out-
put, and the right channel is gradually faded out until only the left
channel will be heard through both output channels when the slider is
at 100% L.

Constant
Power

If you pan a file fully right midway between the front and rear channels
in a 5.1 surround project, only the right channel of your media file is
played, and this channel is sent to the right-front and -rear output
channels. If you pan to the left, the left channel is gradually added to
the output, and the right channel is gradually faded out until only the
left channel is sent to the left-front and -rear output channels.

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Mode Description

This mode allows you to pan between pairs of adjacent speakers in 5.1
surround projects using a constant power model. This mode is optim-
ized for theater-style speaker placement. In stereo projects, Film
mode functions identically to Constant Power.

As you drag the pan point to the center speaker, the sound becomes
diffused through the front and rear speakers. When the track is
panned fully to the center speaker, there is no output from the front
and rear speakers.

Dragging the pan point to the center of the surround panner sends the
signal to all speakers.

Film
NOTE
If you're panning fully to a single speaker, you may notice that
some signal is mixed to the opposite speaker. This is because the
ideal placement for surround speakers does not match the rep-
resentation in the surround panner. For example, panning to the
front-left speaker produces a low-level signal in the rear-left
speaker.

This is because your front-left speaker should be positioned 30°

left of center and the speaker in the surround panner is located 45°
left of center. To produce a true 45° left-of-center pan, the signal is
panned between the front- and rear-left speaker.

Rendering your 5.1 surround project

Rendering a surround project creates six mono files (AIFF, ATRAC, WAV/W64, or PCA) or a
single 5.1-channel file (AC-3, WAV/W64, WMA, and WMV) that your authoring application
can use to create DVD-Video or 5.1-channel music projects.

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IMPORTANT Before rendering your surround project, check your surround authoring
application's documentation to determine its required audio format. Some encoders
require a specific low-pass filter cutoff frequency and rolloff, and your encoder may
require that no filter be applied before encoding. Use the Audio tab of the Project Prop-
erties dialog to configure a low-pass filter.

1. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS to display the Render As dialog.

2. In the FOLDER box, choose the folder and file name you want to use to save your
file.

3. Use the NAME box to give the file a name.

4. In the TEMPLATES box, choose the multiple mono template, or choose an appro-
priate 5.1-channel template if the selected file type supports it.

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TIP
● When you render a 5.1 surround project to AIFF (.aif), Perfect Clarity
Audio (.pca), Wave64 (.w64), or Wave (.wav) formats, you can save each
of the surround master busses to a separate file by choosing the multiple
mono setting from the TEMPLATE drop-down list. For example, if you'd
typed My Film.wav in the FILE NAME box, the following files would be
rendered: My Film Right.wav, My Film Right Surround.wav, My Film
LFE.wav, My Film Left.wav, My Film Left Surround.wav, and My Film

Center.wav. For more information, see 5.1 surround projects (p. 892)
● When you render a 5.1 surround project to WAV or WAV64 format using
the 48,000 HZ, 16 BIT, 5.1, PCM or 48,000 HZ, 32 BIT, 5.1, PCM template,
you can create a single 5.1 channel file. The rendered file contains chan-
nel-mapping information so that VEGAS Pro will preserve surround pan-
ning information when adding these files to 5.1 surround projects.
Legacy Vegas applications (and third-party applications) may not be able
to read these 5.1-channel files. In this case, you can render a single six-
channel file by selecting the ENABLE MULTICHANNEL MAPPING check-
box and creating a channel mapping using the Surround Master outputs.
For more information about rendering multichannel audio and setting up
multichannel mapping, please see Rendering Multichannel Audio Files (p.
1035)

5. Select the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox if you want to save only the
portion of the project that is contained within the Loop Region. LOOP PLAYBACK
does not need to be selected for this option to work.
The checkbox is available only if you've created a time selection in the timeline.

6. If the selected file type supports it, you can select the SAVE PROJECT MARKERS
WITH MEDIA FILE checkbox to include markers, regions, and command markers in
the rendered media file. If the information cannot be saved in your media file, it
will create an .sfl file (using the same base name as your media file).

7. Click the RENDER button. A dialog is displayed to show rendering progress.

When rendering is complete, click the OPEN button to play the file with its asso-
ciated player, or click OPEN FOLDER to open the folder where you saved the file.

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Mixing audio
You can mix your audio tracks in three ways in VEGAS® Pro:
● The audio track controls in the track list allow you to adjust relative track volumes,
panning, assignable FX send levels, and bus send levels for individual tracks.
● The Master Bus window allows you to adjust the overall level of your project.

● The Mixing Console window allows for advanced multichannel mixing using mul-
tiple busses and assignable effects using a traditional hardware-style mixer view.

Audio track controls

The controls in the track list allow you to adjust track volume, panning, phase, assignable
FX send levels, and bus send levels.

TIP
● Audio track controls are duplicated on audio track channel strips in the Mixing
Console window. Audio Track Channel Strips (p. 971)
● To move faders and sliders in fine increments, hold Ctrl while dragging the con-
trol.

NOTE If you cannot find a trace control mentioned here, it's probably hidden. Click the

More button to specify which track control should be visible in the track header.

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Changing a track's color

You can change the color of your tracks to create logical track groups.

To change a track's color, right-click the header and choose TRACK DISPLAY COLOR from
the shortcut menu. Choose a color from the submenu to change the icon in the track list
and the waveform in the timeline.

Use the Display tab in the Preferences dialog to edit the available colors. For more
information, see Display Tab (p. 1159)

Changing a track's height

Drag a track's bottom border to set its height. If you want to set a track's height as the
default height for new tracks, you can right-click within the track list and choose SET

DEFAULT TRACK PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu. For more information, see Set-
ting default track properties (p. 426)

Click MINIMIZE to minimize a track vertically.

Click MAXIMIZE to zoom in vertically so a track fills the timeline.

After minimizing or maximizing a track, click the MINIMIZE or MAXIMIZE button again to
return a track to its previous height.

Track height keyboard shortcuts

● Press Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow or Down Arrow to change the height of all tracks at
once.
● Press ` to minimize all tracks. Press again to restore tracks to their previous
height. When restoring track height, tracks that you previously minimized are not
restored—you can restore these tracks by clicking the RESTORE TRACK HEIGHT

button on the track header.

● Press Ctrl+` to return all tracks to the default height.

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Assigning a name to a track

1. Double-click in the Scribble Strip and type the track name.

If you do not see the Scribble Strip, expand the track to reveal it. The Scribble
Strip appears above the VOLUME fader.

2. Press Enter to save the name.

Arming a track for recording

Click the ARM FOR RECORD button on an audio track to prepare it for recording.

When you click the RECORD button on the main transport bar, all armed tracks will
begin recording.

For more information about recording audio, see Recording audio (p. 884)

Inverting the phase of a track

Click the INVERT TRACK PHASE button to reverse the phase of all events on an audio
track.

Although inverting data does not make an audible difference in a single file, it can prevent
phase cancellation when mixing or crossfading audio signals.

Select multiple tracks to invert several tracks simultaneously.

NOTE If the INVERT event switch is selected, inverting the phase of the track will return
the event to its original phase.

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Adding or editing track effects

Click the TRACK FX button to add effects to a track or edit the existing effects chain.

For more information about using track effects, see Adding audio effects (p. 1001)

Muting a track

Click the MUTE button to prevent a track from being played in the mix. Click the MUTE
button on additional tracks to add them to the mute group. To unmute a track, click the
MUTE button again.

Click the MUTE button in a track group header to temporarily suspend playback of all
tracks in the group. Muting a track group overrides soloed tracks in the group.

NOTE Muting a track mutes its main output and post-fader sends only unless the
TRACK PREFADER SENDS LISTEN TO MUTE checkbox on the Audio tab of the Prefer-
ences dialog is selected. For more information and examples about how the TRACK
PREFADER SENDS LISTEN TO MUTE checkbox works, see Audio Tab (p. 1135)

Muting or unmuting a track

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the MUTE button .

TIP When you have a group of tracks muted, hold Ctrl while clicking the MUTE button
on an unmuted track to remove all other tracks from the mute group. Hold Ctrl while
clicking the MUTE button on a muted track to reset all MUTE buttons.

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Adjusting mute automation

When you select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button , the MUTE button is displayed as

, and you can use the button to edit mute automation.

Soloing a track

Click the SOLO button to mute all unselected tracks. Click the SOLO button on addi-
tional tracks to add them to the solo group. To remove a track from the solo group, click its
SOLO button again.

Click the SOLO button in a track group header to isolate all tracks in the group for play-
back. Soloing a track group overrides muted tracks in the group.

TIP Hold Ctrl while clicking a SOLO button to solo a single track and remove all other
tracks from the solo group.

Choosing a track's input/recording device

The RECORD INPUT button in a track header chooses the audio input that will be used
to record to a track.

You can click the RECORD INPUT button to turn input monitoring on or off and choose a
recording device.

Assigning a track to a bus

The bus button in a track header chooses the track's primary output. Assigning tracks to
busses is especially useful for creating submixes that allow you to adjust the levels of mul-

tiple tracks at once or apply an effect to multiple tracks. For more information, see
Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console (p. 992)

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1. Click the bus button on the track.

The button is displayed as a when the track is routed to the master bus, and

the bus letter is displayed ( , , and so on) when a track is routed to another
bus.

2. Select the desired bus from the submenu. The BUS button changes to display the
selected bus.

NOTE If the BUS button does not appear on the track, then you have not specified
more than one bus in your project settings. For more information on specifying the num-
ber of busses for your project, see Adding audio busses (p. 932)

TIP
If you want to send a track to multiple outputs — for creating cue mixes or effects
sends — you can use the multipurpose fader to control the level of the track sent to
each bus or assignable effects chain. Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing
Console (p. 992) and Using assignable effects (p. 1008)

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Monitoring track output levels

During playback, a responsive meter is displayed in the track header to monitor the track's
output.

Horizontal meters

Vertical meters

When clipping is detected, the peak meter displays a red CLIP indicator.

Right-click the meters and choose a command from the shortcut menu to adjust the dis-
play of the meters. This shortcut menu allows you to reset clip indicators, choose a display
scale, toggle vertical display, or turn output meters off.

Adjusting a track's volume

The fader in the track header can function as a trim control that adjusts the overall volume
of the track, or it can adjust track volume automation settings.

The trim level is added to the volume automation settings so your envelope is preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has the same
effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

TIP When adjusting the mix of your tracks, remember to look at the meters on the
Master Bus. Because you are adding the volumes of all of the tracks together, it is easy
to clip the audio output. Make sure that the meters never display the red Clip indication
during playback.

Adjusting the volume trim level

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Drag the VOL fader to control how loud a track is in the mix.

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A value of 0 dB means that the track is played with no boost or cut. Dragging the
fader to the left cuts the volume; dragging to the right boosts the volume.
You can hold Ctrl while dragging a fader to adjust the setting in finer increments,
or double-click the fader to return it to 0 dB.
If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Adjusting the volume automation level

When you select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button , the fader thumb is displayed as a

, and you can use the control to edit volume automation. For more information, see
Audio track automation (p. 1074)

Panning a track

The PAN slider in the track header can function as a trim control that adjusts the overall
panning of the track, or it can adjust track panning automation settings.

The trim level is added to the pan automation settings so your panning envelope is pre-
served, but with an offset applied. For example, setting the trim control to -9% left has the
same effect as moving every envelope point 9% to the left.

Adjusting track panning trim levels

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Drag the PAN slider to control the position of the track in the stereo field: dragging
to the left will place the track in the left speaker more than the right, and dragging
to the right will place the track in the right speaker.
You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer incre-
ments, or double-click the slider to return it to 0.
If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

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Adjusting the track panning automation level

When you select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button , the PAN slider handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use the control to edit pan automation. For more inform-
ation, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

Changing the pan mode

Right-click the fader handle and choose a pan type to change the behavior of the PAN
slider. For more information about pan modes, see Audio panning modes (p. 908)

NOTE The selected panning mode is also used for track-level pan envelopes. For
more information, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

Adjusting an assignable effects send level

The multipurpose slider in the track header can function as a trim control that adjusts the
overall assignable effects send level of the track, or it can adjust assignable effects send
automation settings.

The trim level is added to the assignable effects automation settings so your envelope is
preserved, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB
has the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

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TIP
● FX sends are post-volume by default. To change to pre-volume, click the
PRE/POST VOLUME SEND button (or right-click the FX fader and choose PRE
VOLUME from the shortcut menu).
● If you want to apply track panning (including pan position and panning mode)
to FX sends, right-click the FX fader and choose LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN
from the shortcut menu.
When LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN is not selected, the track sends a center-
panned stereo signal using the track's current panning mode.
● Select the USE LEGACY TRACK SEND GAIN checkbox on the Audio page of
the Preferences dialog if you want to configure audio track sends to behave as
they did in VEGAS Pro 7.0 and earlier. When the checkbox is selected, you can
open projects created with earlier versions of VEGAS Pro and be assured they

will sound the same as they did in earlier versions of VEGAS Pro. For more
information, see Audio Tab (p. 1135)

Adjusting the assignable effects trim level

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the label on the multipurpose slider and choose an assignable effects chain
from the menu.

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3. Drag the FX fader to control the level of the track sent to each of the assignable
FX chains that you have created. Dragging the fader to the left cuts the volume;
dragging to the right boosts the volume.
You can hold Ctrl while dragging a fader to adjust the setting in finer increments,
or double-click the fader to return it to 0 dB.
If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Adjusting the assignable effects automation level

When you select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button , the fader thumb is displayed as a

, and you can use the control to edit assignable effects send level automation. For
more information, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

Adjusting a bus send level

The multipurpose slider in the track header can function as a trim control that adjusts the
overall bus send level of the track, or it can adjust bus send automation settings.

The trim level is added to the bus send automation settings so your envelope is preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has the same
effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

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TIP
● Bus sends are pre-volume (and pre-mute) by default. When bus sends are pre-
volume, you can create a cue mix that is independent of your main mix (like the
monitor out on a hardware mixer).Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mix-
ing Console (p. 992) To change to post-volume, click the PRE/POST VOLUME
SEND button (or right-click the bus fader and choose POST VOLUME from the
shortcut menu. Post-volume sends are useful for effects sends because the
send pays attention to the track's volume and mute controls.
● If you want to apply track panning to bus sends (including pan position and
panning mode), right click the bus fader and choose LINK TO MAIN TRACK
PAN from the shortcut menu.
When LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN is not selected, the track sends a center-
panned stereo signal using the track's current panning mode.
● Select the USE LEGACY TRACK SEND GAIN checkbox on the Audio page of
the Preferences dialog if you want to configure audio track sends to behave as
they did in VEGAS Pro 7.0 and earlier. When the checkbox is selected, you can
open projects created with earlier versions of VEGAS Pro and be assured they

will sound the same as they did in earlier versions of VEGAS Pro. For more
information, see Audio Tab (p. 1135)

Adjusting the bus send trim level

1. Deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the label on the multipurpose slider and choose a bus from the menu.

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3. Drag the fader to control the level of the track sent to each of the additional
busses that you have created for your project. Dragging the fader to the left cuts
the volume; dragging to the right boosts the volume.
You can hold Ctrl while dragging a fader to adjust the setting in finer increments,
or double-click the fader to return it to 0 dB.
If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Adjusting bus send automation

When you select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button , the fader thumb is displayed as a

, and you can use the control to edit bus send level automation. For more inform-
ation, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

Adjusting trim levels

The controls in the track header can function as trim controls or automation controls for
track volume, panning, assignable effects send, and bus send levels. Adjusting the trim
control affects the level of the entire track as it did in previous releases of VEGAS Pro.

The trim level is added to the track automation setting so your automation settings are pre-
served, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has
the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

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To adjust trim levels, deselect the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button . When

AUTOMATION SETTINGS is selected, the volume fader and multipurpose slider adjust auto-
mation settings.

Using the Master Bus Window

The Master Bus window provides you with a streamlined view of your project's master out-
put.

Choose VIEW | WINDOW | MASTER BUS to toggle the display of the window.

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Master Bus toolbar

Item Description

Audio Prop- Opens the Audio tab in the Project Properties dialog. For
erties
more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

Downmixes your audio from 5.1 surround to stereo or from

stereo to mono so you can ensure your mix will sound the
way you intended it--even if your audience's hardware has
fewer channels than the original mix.

The button represents the current playback mode:

Downmix Out-
put ●
5.1 surround output

●
Stereo output

●
Mono output

Attenuates the volume of all busses that are routed to hard-

ware outputs by 20 dB so you can check your mix at a lower
Dim Output level (or answer the phone or hear the pizza-delivery truck).
Click again to restore volume and tune out your can-
tankerous assistant.

Click to open the Mixing Console, which provides an integ-

rated view of all tracks and busses in your project using the
appearance of a traditional hardware-based mixer. You can
Open Mixing
use the Mixing Console to add and control audio tracks,
Console
assignable effects chains, busses, and input busses. For
more information, see The Mixing Console Window (p. 39)

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Preview control

Controls the loudness of media played through the Project Media, Trimmer, or Explorer win-
dow.

TIP Right-click in the Master Bus window and choose SHOW PREVIEW FADER to
toggle the display of the preview control.

Master Bus control

Use the bus control to adjust levels and panning, add effects, and mute or solo the bus.

Item Description

Displays the Plug-In Chooser if there are no plug-ins

assigned, or displays the Bus FX window if the bus has an
effects chain.

MASTER FX TIP Right-click the button and choose POST VOLUME

from the shortcut menu if you want to apply the effects
chain after the bus volume. This has the same effect as
right-clicking the bus output fader and choosing Pre FX
from the shortcut menu.

The controls in the bus control list can function as trim con-
trols or automation controls for bus volume, panning, and
muting.

Click the button and verify SHOW AUTOMATION

CONTROLS is not selected if you want the bus control to
AUTOMATION
function as a trim control. Adjusting a trim control affects the
SETTINGS
entire track.

Click the button and choose SHOW AUTOMATION

CONTROLS to adjust automation settings. For more

information, see Using automation (p. 1074)

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Item Description

Excludes the bus from playback.

When SHOW AUTOMATION CONTROLS is selected, the but-

Mute
ton is displayed as a , and you can use the button to edit
mute automation on the bus's bus track.

Solo Plays only the bus during playback.

Drag to adjust the volume of the bus. Double-click the cen-

ter of the thumb to reset the fader to 0.0 dB.

If the right and left channels of the Master bus are set dif-
ferently, you can double-click either thumb to force the
other channel to match it.

When SHOW AUTOMATION CONTROLS is selected, the

Output Fader
thumb is displayed as a , and you can use the fader to edit
volume automation on the bus's bus track.

TIP Right-click the thumb and choose PRE FX or POST

FX from the shortcut menu to specify whether the bus
level is applied before or after the bus effects chain.

Displays the playback level at the output of the bus. This is

the level that will be sent to the selected audio device.
Meter
Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut
menu to change the resolution.

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Item Description

Click to lock (gang) the faders so the left and right channels
will always move together. Click again to unlock the faders.

Lock/Unlock NOTE Hold Shift while dragging a fader to temporarily

Fader Channels override the current state of the button: if the button is
turned off, you can hold Shift to drag the faders in locked
mode; if the button is selected, hold Shift to drag the
faders independently.

Busses - overview

You can use to group and mix tracks. The most common uses of busses are for routing
tracks and effects outputs to specific hardware outputs or simply to use a bus as a master
control for a set of tracks.

For example, if you wanted to control the master level of all your drum tracks to a relative
level, you could create a bus and assign all drum tracks to that bus. After your drums are
mixed, you can adjust the overall volume of the drum tracks by adjusting the bus volume.

You can also use busses to create channel mappings for rendering multichannel audio files.

For more information, see Rendering Multichannel Audio Files (p. 1035)

To see the audio signal flow, see Signal flow diagram (p. 943)

Adding audio busses

From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO BUS (or click the INSERT BUS button in the Mix-
ing Console toolbar) to add a bus to your project.

The number of busses in your project will be determined by several factors, such as the
number of outputs that your hardware supports, how you will be using and applying effects
throughout your project, or how many audio channels you want to include in a channel map-
ping for rendering multichannel audio.

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By default, all busses are assigned to the Master bus. In this configuration, you can use
them for creating subgroups of tracks—for example, you could route all your drum tracks
to a bus so you can adjust their levels together without changing their relative levels.
However, you can also route busses to hardware outputs so you can use busses for send-
ing tracks to external effects processors or for mixing on an external mixer. For more
information, see Routing busses (p. 940)

TIP For more information about submixing, see Creating a cue (headphone) mix with
the Mixing Console (p. 992)

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Adding a bus
From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO BUS to add a bus to your project. A bus channel strip
is added to the Mixing Console window.

You can assign up to 26 busses (plus the Master bus), and you can change the number of
busses at any time.

TIP If the Mixing Console window is visible, click the INSERT BUS button in the Mix-
ing Console toolbar.

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Renaming a bus
To rename a bus, double-click the label at the bottom of the channel strip and type a new
name in the box (or press F2 to rename the selected bus). The channel strip in the Mixing
Console is updated when you press Enter.

TIP Delete all characters in a custom bus name to reset a custom bus name to its
default.

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Deleting a bus
Right-click a bus channel strip in the Mixing Console window and choose DELETE from the
shortcut menu, or select a channel strip and press the Delete key.

NOTE When you remove a bus from a project, any tracks assigned to that bus will be
reassigned to the previous bus. For example, if you have assigned 4 busses to your pro-
ject (busses A-D), and later decrease the number of busses by one, the tracks assigned
to Bus D will be assigned to Bus C.

Assigning tracks to busses

Assigning tracks to busses allows you to apply settings to a series of tracks or route tracks
to a hardware output.

For example, if you wanted to apply the same three effects to several tracks, you could
apply the effects to a bus and assign the tracks to that bus. If you wanted to send several
tracks to a single hardware output, you could assign the tracks to a bus and then route the
bus to a hardware output.

MORE INFORMATION
● Using bus effects (p. 1004)

● Routing busses (p. 940)

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Assigning a track to a bus

1. Click the bus button on the track header.

The button is displayed as a when the track is routed to the master bus, and

the bus letter is displayed ( , , and so on) when a track is routed to another
bus.

TIP You can also use the I/O control region on the bus channel stripto set a
track's output device.

2. Select the desired bus from the menu. The BUS button changes to display the
selected bus.

NOTE If the BUS button does not appear on the track, then you have not spe-
cified more than one bus in your project settings.

MORE INFORMATION
● Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

● Adding audio busses (p. 932)

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Adjusting a bus send level

1. Click the label on the multipurpose slider and choose the desired bus from the
menu. The label changes to reflect the name of the bus.

NOTE If you can't see the multipurpose slider, drag thebottom edge of the
track header to increase its height.

2. Drag the fader to adjust the level of the track sent to the bus.

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TIP
● You can also use the Sends control region on the bus channel strip to
adjust bus send levels.
● Bus sends are pre-volume by default. When bus sends are pre-volume,
you can create a cue mix that is independent of your main mix. To
change to post-volume, right-click the bus fader and choose POST
VOLUME from the shortcutmenu.
● If you want to apply track panning to bus sends (including pan position
and panning mode), right click the bus fader and choose LINK TO MAIN
TRACK PAN from the shortcut menu.
When LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN is not selected, the track sends a cen-
ter-panned stereo signal using the track's current panning mode.
● Select the USE LEGACY TRACK SEND GAIN checkbox on the Audio page
of the Preferences dialog if you want to configure audio track sends to
behave as they did in VEGAS Pro 7.0 and earlier. When the checkbox is
selected, you can open projects created with earlier versions of VEGAS
Pro and be assured they will sound the same as they did in earlier ver-
sions of VEGAS Pro.

MORE INFORMATION
● Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

● Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console (p. 992)

● Audio panning modes (p. 908)

● Audio Tab (p. 1135)

Using bus envelopes

Bus envelopes allow you to change the level of a track sent to a bus over time.

For more information, see Busses - overview (p. 932) and Audio track automation (p.
1074)

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Routing busses

The Mixing Console window allows you to create up to 26 (plus the Master) virtual busses
that you can route to hardware attached to your computer or to other busses.

By default, all busses are assigned to the Master bus. In this configuration, you can use
them for creating subgroups of tracks—for example, you could route all your drum tracks
to a bus so you can adjust their levels together without changing their relative levels. When
you assign busses to hardware outputs, you can use busses for sending tracks to external
effects processors or for mixing on an external mixer.

IMPORTANT When you route busses to hardware outputs, the outputs from those
busses will not be included in the mix when you render your project.

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Routing a bus to another bus

1. Add busses to your project. For more information, see Adding audio busses (p.
932)

2. Click the PLAYBACK DEVICE SELECTOR button on the audio bus track and
choose a bus from the menu. For more information, see Audio bus tracks (p. 407)

●
The button is displayed as a when a bus is routed to the master bus.

●
The bus letter is displayed ( , , and so on) when a bus is routed to
another bus.

●
The button is displayed as a when a bus is routed to a hardware output.

NOTE To prevent feedback, you cannot perform circular routing. For example, if your
project has two busses and bus A is routed to B, bus B can only be routed to the Master
bus.

TIP You can also use the I/O control region in the bus channel strip to route busses. For
more information, see Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

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Routing a bus to a hardware output

1. Verify that you are using Windows classic wave drivers or an ASIO driver:

a. From the Options menu, choose Preferences and click the AUDIO DEVICE
tab.

b. From the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE drop-down list, choose WINDOWS CLASSIC
WAVE DRIVER or an ASIO driver.

c. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

NOTE If you have selected MICROSOFT SOUND MAPPER in the AUDIO

DEVICE TYPE drop-down list on the Audio tab in the Preferences dialog, you
will not be able to assign the bus to a different device. For more information,
see Audio Tab (p. 1135)

2. Click the OUTPUT button in the I/O control region of the bus channel strip and
choose another bus from the menu. For more information, see Bus Channel Strips
(p. 984)

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Signal flow diagram

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Using input busses

You can use input busses to input, process, record, and mix external audio sources with
your VEGAS Pro project. Following are some examples of how you can use input busses in
your projects:
● Use an input bus as a recording input, allowing you to apply effects and record a
wet signal.
● Use an input bus as a mixer input for an external device, such as a synthesizer.

● Use an input bus as a return for hardware-based effects.

● Use an input bus to monitor a source such as a talkback microphone.

Adding or deleting input busses

From the Insert menu, choose INPUT BUS (or click the INSERT INPUT BUS button in the
Mixing Console toolbar) to add an input bus to your project.

NOTE You can add up to 26 input busses, and you can change the number of busses at
any time.

Adding a bus

From the Insert menu, choose INPUT BUS. An input bus channel strip is added to the Mix-

ing Console window. For more information, see Input bus channel strips (p. 945)

TIP If the Mixing Console window is visible, click INSERT INPUT BUS button in the

toolbar. For more information, see The Mixing Console Window (p. 39)

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Renaming a bus

To rename a bus, double-click the label at the bottom of the channel strip and type a new
name in the box (or press F2 to rename the selected bus). The channel strip in the Mixing
Console is updated when you press Enter:

TIP Delete all characters in a custom bus name to reset a custom bus name to its
default.

Deleting a bus

Right-click an input bus channel strip in the Mixing Console window and choose DELETE
from the shortcut menu, or select an input bus channel strip and press the Delete key.

Input bus channel strips

A separate channel strip is displayed for each input bus in your project.

To show or hide channel strips for busses, click the BUSSES button in the View Controls

pane. For more information, see The View Controls Pane (p. 966)

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Changing a bus's name

To rename an input bus, double-click the label at the bottom of the channel strip and type
a new name in the box (or press F2 to rename the selected bus). The channel strip in the
Mixing Console is updated when you press Enter.

Adding or editing input bus (insert) effects

When the Insert FX control region is visible, each input bus displays its effects chain at the
top of the channel strip.

To show or hide the Insert FX control region, click the INSERT FX button in the View Con-
trols pane.

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Each effect is displayed as a button. You can hover over the button to see a ToolTip that
displays the full plug-in and preset name.

TIP
● When the Insert FX control region isn't visible, you can click the INPUT BUS FX

button in the Faders control region to display the Audio Plug-In window for
the bus effects chain.
● Input bus insert effects are always applied pre-fader.

Adding a plug-in

Click the button and then choose a new plug-in from the menu to add a
new plug-in to the effects chain.

Editing effects settings

Click an effect's button to display the Audio Plug-In window, where you can adjust the
plug-in's settings.

When you right-click an effect's button, a shortcut a menu is displayed:

● Choose SHOW <PLUG-IN NAME> to open the Audio Plug-In window, where you
can adjust the plug-in's controls.
● Choose BYPASS <PLUG-IN NAME> to temporarily bypass a plug-in.

When an effect is bypassed, its button is displayed in red text.

● Choose REMOVE <PLUG-IN NAME> to remove a plug-in from the effects chain.

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● Choose PRESETS, and then choose a setting from the submenu to load a new pre-
set. The current preset is indicated by a bullet (•).
● To replace the current plug-in, right-click the effect's button, and then choose a
new plug-in from the menu. Plug-ins are organized in submenus by type (EQ,
Dynamics, Reverbs, etc.).

Adjusting input bus send levels

When the Sends control region is visible, each bus displays controls you can use to route
the input bus to assignable effects chains or to busses that are routed to hardware out-
puts. A bus cannot send to a bus that is directly or indirectly routed to the Master bus.

To show or hide the Sends control region, click the SENDS button in the View Controls
pane.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the Faders control region is not selected,
click the CHANNEL SEND button and choose a bus or assignable effects chain from the
menu, and then drag the fader to adjust the send level.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the Faders control region is selected, the

fader handle is displayed as a , and you can use it to edit send volume automation on the
bus track.

NOTE The trim level is added to the automation settings so your envelope is preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has the
same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

TIP To adjust the size of the Sends control region, you can drag the bottom divider to
make more or fewer sends visible.

Bus sends are post-volume (and post-mute) by default. To change to pre-volume (and
pre-mute), click the PRE/POST button to switch to PRE-VOLUME SEND mode.

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Changing an input bus's input or output port

When the I/O control region is visible, each bus displays controls you can use to set the
bus's input and output device.

To show or hide the I/O control region, click the I/O button in the View Controls pane.

Choosing an input device

To choose an output device, click the INPUT button and choose a port from the menu.

Choosing an output device

To choose an output device, click the OUTPUT button and choose a bus or hardware out-
put from the menu, or choose OUTPUT OFF.

Setting the output to OUTPUT OFF is useful when you're using an input bus as a recording
input and want to monitor the bus through the track or when using an input bus as a talk-
back mic.

IMPORTANT When you route busses to hardware outputs, the outputs from those
busses will not be included in the mix when you render your project.

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If you want to use an input bus as a track input, click the RECORD INPUT button on the
track header, choose INPUT BUSSES from the menu, and choose an input bus from the
submenu:

Monitoring bus levels with VU/PPM meters

When the VU Meters control region is visible, you can display volume unit (VU) and peak
program (PPM) meters to help you determine the perceived loudness of your audio signal
(peak program meters provide faster response times to volume increases than VU meters).

To show or hide the VU Meters control region, click the VU METERS button in the View Con-
trols pane.

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Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut menu (or hover over the

meter and roll your mouse wheel) to change the resolution and display options. For
more information, see Monitor track levels with VU/PPM meters (p. 975)

Monitoring bus levels with peak meters

When the Meters control region is visible, each bus displays meters you can use to monitor
output levels.

To show or hide the Meters control region, click the METERS button in the View Controls
pane.

NOTE If the Meters control region is not visible, peak meters are displayed in the
Faders control region.

Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut menu to change the res-
olution and display options.

TIP Right-click the peak meters and choose SHOW PEAK METER to show or hide
meters for individual channels.

Muting or soloing a bus

When the Faders control region is visible, each bus displays MUTE and SOLO but-
tons.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

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Muting a bus

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can click the MUTE
button to prevent a bus from being played in the mix. Click the MUTE button on additional
busses to add them to the mute group. To unmute a bus, click the MUTE button again.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the MUTE button is displayed as

, and you can use the button to edit mute automation on the bus track.

Soloing a bus

Click the SOLO button to mute all unselected busses. Click the SOLO button on addi-
tional busses to add them to the solo group. To remove a bus from the solo group, click its
SOLO button again.

Adjusting bus volume or panning

When the Faders control region is visible, each input bus displays a PAN slider and a
VOLUME fader.

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TIP The PAN slider is displayed only when an input bus is routed to the master bus or
an auxiliary bus. It is not available when the input bus is routed directly to a hardware
output.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

Adjusting panning
When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can drag the PAN slider
to control the position of the bus in the stereo field: dragging to the left will place the bus in
the left speaker more than the right, and dragging to the right will place the bus in the right
speaker.

You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or
double-click the slider to return it to 0.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the PAN slider handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use it to edit pan automation on the bus track.

NOTE The trim level is added to the pan automation settings so your panning envelope
is preserved, but with an offset applied. For example, setting the trim control to 9% left
has the same effect as moving every envelope point 9% to the left.

Adjusting volume
When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can drag the VOLUME
fader to control the overall (trim) volume of the bus.

You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or
double-click the slider to return it to 0.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the VOLUME fader handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use it to edit volume automation on the bus track.

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NOTE The trim level is added to the volume automation settings so your envelope is
preserved, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3
dB has the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

Changing pre/post routing

Insert effects on input busses are always pre fader: the FX chain is not affected by the
channel's gain fader.

The PRE/POST FADER SEND button allows you to create cue mixes that are not affected

by the gain (or mute/pan) stages of the bus or track. For more information, see Creat-
ing a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console (p. 992)
● When PRE FADER SEND is selected, your audio signal flows as follows: bus
effects — bus send — bus pan — bus volume.
● When POST FADER SEND is selected, your audio signal flows as follows: bus
effects — bus pan — bus volume — bus send.

Recording using an input bus

When you use an input bus to record audio, you can include input bus effects with the
recorded signal.

For example, imagine that you need to record an electric guitar with an amplifier-modeling
plug-in.

Scenario 1: Plug your guitar into your sound card's instrument input and choose that input
as your recording input:

In this scenario, you could then add your amplifier-modeling plug-in as a track effect and
record with input monitoring on. Your guitar would be recorded directly (without the plug-
in), and the plug-in would be processed each time you play or render your project. This
method allows you to adjust the plug-in settings as you work on your project.

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Scenario 2: Set up an input bus that uses your amplifier-modeling plug-in as an insert
effect, and choose that input bus as your recording input:

In this scenario, your amplifier-modeling plug-in is cooked into the recorded signal. This
method allows you to record your processed signal but doesn't allow you to change your
amplifier settings without rerecording the guitar part.

1. Add an input bus to your project.

For more information, see Adding or deleting input busses (p. 944)

2. Set up your input bus:

a. Click the ADD NEW INSERT FX button in the Insert FX con-

trol region of the input bus channel strip to add plug-ins to your input bus.

b. In the I/O control region of the input bus channel strip, click the INPUT
SOURCE button and choose the sound card input you want to record:

c. Click the OUTPUT button in the I/O control region of the input bus channel
strip and choose OFF. The bus output is left off so we can monitor the input
through the track.

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3. Set your track to record from your input bus:

a. Click the RECORD INPUT button, choose INPUT BUSSES from the menu,
and choose your input bus.

b. Click the RECORD INPUT button and choose INPUT MONITOR MODE: ON or
INPUT MONITOR MODE: AUTO so you can hear your input signal during
recording.
● When AUTO is selected, you will hear the input monitor signal when
playback is stopped and during recording. If you're recording into
selected events, you'll hear the input monitor signal only when the
cursor passes over the selected events.
● When ON is selected, the behavior is similar to AUTO mode, but you
will always hear the input monitor during recording — monitoring is not
toggled on and off when recording into a selected event.

IMPORTANT Your ability to monitor effects in real time is dependent on

your computer's performance. Effect automation envelopes are
bypassed during record monitoring.

4. Position the cursor where you want to start recording.

5. Select the ARM FOR RECORD buttons on the track where you want to record.
Arming a track enables it for recording.
When a track is armed, the track meter displays the track's level. If input mon-
itoring is not on, the meter displays the level of your input source. If input mon-
itoring is turned on, the meter shows the level of the input source plus the track
effects chain.

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6. Click the RECORD button on the Transport bar to start recording.

7. To stop recording, click the RECORD button again or click the STOP button on
the Transport bar. The Recorded Files dialog is displayed.

8. Use the Recorded Files dialog to confirm the file name and location of your recor-
ded audio. Click DELETE or DELETE ALL if you do not want to save the recorded
files, or click RENAME to change the file's name.

9. Click DONE to close the Recorded Files dialog. Your recorded file is displayed as a
new event in the timeline.

Using input busses with hardware-based effects

Plug-ins are great, but there are times when you may want the sound of a specific piece of
hardware for your tracks. This help topic will show you how to use auxiliary busses and
input busses to send a track to an external processor.

1. Connect your effects processor to your audio interface:

a. Connect the input of your effects processor to an output from your sound
card (for this example, we'll use LINEOUT 1).

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b. Connect the output of your effects processor to an input on your sound card
(for this example, we'll use INST 1).

2. Add a bus to your project. This bus will be used as a destination to send a track to
your effects processor.

For more information, see Adding audio busses (p. 932)

3. Configure your bus to send its output to your effects processor:

In the I/O control region of the bus's channel strip, click the OUTPUT button and
choose the output that is connected to your effects processor's input (the Out-
puts 3/4 for this example).

This auxiliary bus provides a signal path to your effects processor's input.

4. Add an input bus to your project. This input bus will receive the signal from your
effects processor.

For more information, see Using input busses (p. 944)

5. Configure your input bus to take its input from the effects processor and send its
output to your main mix:

a. In the I/O control region of the input bus's channel strip, click the INPUT
SOURCE button and choose the sound card input that is connected to your
effects processor's output (Input 1/2 for this example).

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b. Click the OUTPUT button and choose the output where you want to send
your processed signal. We’ll send this signal to the master bus so it is
included with your main mix and will be included when performing a real-
time render.

This input bus provides a signal path from your effects processor's output to
your project.

6. Send your track to the effects processor:

Click the bus button on the track header and choose the bus you created in step
2.

The bus button on the track header lets you send the track's audio to your effects
processor.

7. Click PLAY .

When you play your project, the track is sent to your auxiliary bus, into the effects
processor, out of the effects processor into the input bus, and out to the master
bus.

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8. When you're ready to render your project, you can use real-time rendering to
include the output from your effects processor with your project.

For more information, see Real-time rendering (p. 960)

Real-time rendering

From the File menu, choose REAL-TIME RENDER to render your project in real time.

Real-time rendering is a playback mode that renders your project to .wav format. Real-time
rendering allows you to include the output from an external input source such as an effects
processor with your project.

For more information, see Using input busses (p. 944) and Using input busses with
hardware-based effects (p. 957)

NOTE
● When you start real-time rendering, any track that is armed for recording will
be unarmed. You cannot arm a track for recording or start recording in real-
time rendering mode.
● When rendering a project that does not use external audio hardware, real-time
rendering and normal rendering will produce the same output. Real-time ren-
dering will take longer to complete, allowing you to monitor the rendered file
as it is created.
● If the metronome is enabled for playback, it will not be included in the
rendered output.

1. From the File menu, choose REAL-TIME RENDER.

2. Choose a drive and folder from the SAVE IN drop-down list, or use the browse win-
dow to locate the folder where you want to save your file.

IMPORTANT When using real-time rendering, render your project to a loc-

alhard drive. Rendering to a network folder or removable drive can resultin gap-
ping.

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3. Type a name in the FILE NAME box, or select a file in the browse window to
replace an existing file.

4. Click SAVE to start rendering your project from the beginning of the timeline.

Using the Mixing Console

You can use the Mixing Console to mix your project in much the same way you work with a
hardware-based mixer.

The Mixing Console

From the VIEW menu, choose WINDOW | MIXING CONSOLE to toggle the display of the
Mixing Console window in VEGAS® Pro.

The Mixing Console window provides an integrated view of all tracks and busses in your
project using the appearance of a traditional hardware-based mixer.

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For more information, see

1 Toolbar The Mixing Console Toolbar

2 Channel List The Channel List Pane

3 View Controls The View Controls Pane

4 Channel Strips Channel Strips

The Mixing Console Toolbar

The Mixing Console toolbar is displayed at the top of the Mixing Console window and
allows you to quickly configure the window's display; downmix audio; dim the output; or
add tracks, assignable effects, or busses.

Item Description

Click the down arrow and choose a command from the menu:
● CHANNEL LIST – Displays or hides the Channel List
on the left side of the Mixing Console window.
Select a channel strip's checkbox to display it in the
Mixing Console, or clear a checkbox to hide a channel
strip without removing it from your project.

Views For more information, see The Channel List Pane

(p. 965)
● VIEW CONTROLS – Displays or hides the View Con-
trols pane, where you can show or hide components
in the Mixing Console window.

For more information, see The View Controls

Pane (p. 966)

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Item Description

Click the PROPERTIES AND LAYOUT button to open the

Audio tab in the Project Properties dialog, or click the down
arrow and choose a command from the menu:
● AUDIO PROPERTIES – Displays the Audio tab in the
Project Properties dialog.
● SHOW CHANNELS – Choose a command to configure

which channel strips are displayed in the Mixing Con-

sole window.
◉ SHOW ALL CHANNELS – Displays all channel
strips in the Mixing Console.
◉ PREVIEW BUS – Shows or hides the Preview
bus channel strip.
◉ MASTER BUS – Shows or hides the Master bus
channel strip.
Properties and ◉ ASSIGNABLE FX BUSSES – Shows or hides
Layout assignable FX channel strips.
◉ INPUT BUSSES – Shows or hides input bus
channel strips.
◉ AUDIO BUSSES – Shows or hides auxiliary bus
channel strips.
◉ AUDIO TRACKS – Shows or hides audio track
channel strips.
● SHOW CONTROL REGIONS – Choose a command to

configure which portions of the channel strips are dis-

played in the Mixing Console window.
◉ SHOW ALL CONTROL REGIONS – Displays all
control regions.
◉ FADERS CONTROL REGION – Shows or hides
volume faders.
◉ PEAK METERS CONTROL REGION – Shows or
hides Peak Meters.

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Item Description

◉ VU METERS CONTROL REGION – Shows or

hides the VU/PPM control region.
◉ I/O CONTROL REGION – Shows or hides the I/O
control region.
◉ SENDS CONTROL REGION – Shows or hides
the Sends control region.
◉ INSERT FX CONTROL REGION – Shows or
hides the Insert FX control region.
● SHOW CONTROL REGION LABELS – Choose this com-
mand to show or hide control region labels in channel
strips.
● SHOW FADER TICKS – Choose this command to
show or hide scale indicators next to fader controls.
● CHANNEL WIDTH – Choose a setting to indicate
whether you want to view narrow, medium (default),
or wide channel strips in the Mixing Console window.
● METER LAYOUT – Choose Meter Layout, and then
choose a command from the submenu to reset clip
indicators; set the display range; or display labels,
peaks, or valleys in the channel meters.

Downmixes your audio from 5.1 surround to stereo or from

stereo to mono so you can ensure your mix will sound the
way you intended it —even when your audience's hardware
has fewer channels than the original mix.

DOWNMIX The button represents the current playback mode:

OUTPUT ●
5.1 surround output

●
Stereo output

●
Mono output

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Item Description

Attenuates the volume of all busses that are routed to hard-

DIM OUTPUT ware outputs by 20 dB so you can check your mix at a lower
level (or answer the phone). Click again to restore volume.

INSERT AUDIO
Adds an audio track to your project.
TRACK

Creates an assignable FX chain that you can route to one or

INSERT more tracks in your project.
ASSIGNABLE To delete an assignable FX chain, right-click the assignable
FX FX channel strip and choose DELETE from the shortcut
menu.

Adds a bus to your project. The Audio tab in the Project Prop-
erties dialog is updated to reflect the new number of busses.
INSERT BUS
To delete a bus, right-click the channel strip for the bus and
choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Adds an input bus to your project.

Insert Input
Bus To delete a bus, right-click the channel strip for the bus and
choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

The Channel List Pane

The Channel List pane is displayed on the left side of the Mixing Console window.

To show or hide the pane, click the down arrow next to the VIEWS button and choose
CHANNEL LIST (or press Shift+C).

The top of the Channel List pane displays a listing of all tracks, busses, and assignable
effects chains in your project. Select a channel's checkbox to include it in the Mixing Con-
sole display, or clear a checkbox to hide the channel without removing it from your project.

Clicking a track, bus, or assignable effects chain in the Channel List pane selects that chan-
nel. You can hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple channels to perform ganged edits.

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The View Controls Pane

The View Controls pane is displayed on the left side of the Mixing Console window. If the
Channel List pane is visible, the View Controls Pane is displayed below the Channel List
pane.

To show or hide the pane, click the down arrow next to the VIEWS button and choose
VIEW CONTROLS (or press Shift+R).

You can use the buttons in this pane to show or hide components in the Mixing Console.

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Item Description

Click to show channel strips for all tracks, busses, and assignable
Show All
effects chains.

Click to show or hide channel strips for audio tracks.

Audio
Tracks If your project does not contain any audio tracks, this button is
unavailable.

Click to show or hide channel strips for busses.

Audio
Busses If your project does not contain any busses, this button is unavail-
able.

Click to show or hide channel strips for input busses.

Input
Busses If your project does not contain any input busses, this button is
unavailable.

Click to show or hide channel strips for assignable effects chains.

Assignable
FX If your project does not contain any assignable effects chains, this
button is unavailable.

Master Bus Click to show or hide the channel strip for the Master bus.

Preview Bus Click to show or hide the channel strip for the Preview bus.

Click to show or hide the insert effects control region in channel

Insert FX
strips.

Sends Click to show or hide the sends control region in channel strips.

I/O Click to show or hide the I/O control region in channel strips.

VU Meters Click to show or hide the VU/PPM control region in channel strips.

Meters Click to show or hide the Meters control region in channel strips.

Faders Click to show or hide the Faders control region in channel strips.

Channel Drag the slider toward to decrease the width of channel strips, or
Width
drag toward to increase channel strip widths.

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Channel Strips

Audio tracks, busses, input busses, and assignable effects chains are displayed as channel
strips in the Mixing Console.

When a control surface is enabled, an indicator is displayed in the Mixing Console to indic-
ate which channels are under external control. Multiple bars are displayed if a channel is
under the control of multiple devices.

FIGURE Mixing Console window

Region Description

The Insert FX control region displays the insert

1 Insert FX Control Region
effects chain for a track or bus.

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Region Description

The Sends control region displays controls for

routing tracks to busses or assignable effects
2 Sends Control Region chains. For assignable effects chains, the
Send Region also displays an input fader and
meter.

The I/O control region allows you to choose

3 I/O Control Region the recording input for a track or route a chan-
nel to a bus or hardware output.

The VU Meters control region displays volume

unit (VU) and peak program (PPM) meters to
help you determine the perceived loudness of
your audio signal (peak program meters
provide faster response times to volume
4 VU Meters Control Region increases than VU meters).

TIP To change the range of all VU meters in

the Mixing Console, right-click a meter and
choose a range from the shortcut menu.

The Meters control region displays peak

meters you can use to monitor instantaneous
levels during playback and determine the
loudest level in your audio signal.

If the Meters control region is not visible, the

5 Meters Control Region Fader control region also displays a peak
meter.

TIP To change the range of all meters in the

Mixing Console, right-click a meter and
choose a range from the shortcut menu.

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Region Description

The Faders control region allows you to con-

trol a channel's gain.
● Audio track channels display controls
for the track automation mode, arm for
record, input monitor mode, mute, solo,
pan, track gain, and phase.
● Bus channels display controls for the
6 Faders Control Region
bus automation mode, mute, solo, pan,
bus gain, and pre/post fader effects
processing.
● Assignable effects channels display
controls for the bus automation mode,
mute, solo, pan, bus gain, and pre/post
fader effects processing.

The Channel Label displays the name of the

7 Channel Label
track or bus. Double-click to edit the name.

TIP
● If you want to change the order in which channel strips are displayed, you can
click the channel label and drag a channel strip to a new location.
● Hover over a fader and roll your mouse wheel to change its setting.

● To edit a fader value quickly, you can double-click the displayed value to type
a new value.
● Hold Ctrl while dragging a fader to move it in fine increments.

Adding Track, Assignable FX, and Bus Channels

In its default configuration, the Mixing Console displays a channel for each track, bus, and
assignable effects chain in your project.

You can use the buttons on The Mixing Console Toolbar (p. 962) to add tracks, assignable
effects chains, or busses to your project:

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Item Description

INSERT AUDIO
Adds an audio track to your project.
TRACK

Creates an assignable FX chain that you can route to one or

more tracks in your project. For more information, see

INSERT
ASSIGNABLE "FX Send (Assignable Effects) Channel Strips."
FX To delete an assignable FX chain, right-click the assignable
FX channel strip and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu
(or select it and press the Delete key).

Adds a bus to your project. The Audio tab in the Project Prop-
erties dialog is updated to reflect the new number of busses.

INSERT BUS For more information, see Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

To delete a bus, right-click the channel strip for the bus and
choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Adds an input bus to your project. For more information,

Insert Input Bus see Input bus channel strips (p. 945)
To delete an input bus, right-click the channel strip for the
bus and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Audio Track Channel Strips

A separate channel strip is displayed for each audio track in your project. Each channel
strip mirrors controls that are displayed in the track header.

To show or hide audio track channel strips, click the TRACKS button in the View Controls
pane.

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Changing a track's name

To rename a track, double-click the track label at the bottom of the channel strip and type
a new name in the box (or press F2 to rename the selected track). The channel strip in the
Mixing Console and the track header are updated when you press Enter.

Adding or editing track (insert) effects

When the Insert FX control region is visible, each track displays its effects chain at the top
of the channel strip.

To show or hide the Insert FX control region, click the INSERT FX button in the View Con-
trols pane.

Each effect is displayed as a button. You can hover over the button to see a ToolTip that
displays the full plug-in and preset name.

TIP When the Insert FX control region isn't visible, you can click the TRACK FX button

in the Faders control region to display the Audio Plug-In window for the track's
effects chain.

Adding a plug-in

Click the button and then choose a new plug-in from the menu to add a
new plug-in to the effects chain.

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Editing effects settings

Click an effect's button to display the Audio Plug-In window, where you can adjust the
plug-in's settings.

When you right-click an effect's button, a shortcut a menu is displayed:

● Choose SHOW <PLUG-IN NAME> to open the Audio Plug-In window, where you
can adjust the plug-in's controls.
● Choose BYPASS <PLUG-IN NAME> to temporarily bypass a plug-in.

When an effect is bypassed, its button is displayed in red text.

● Choose REMOVE <PLUG-IN NAME> to remove a plug-in from the track effects
chain.
● Choose PRESETS, and then choose a setting from the submenu to load a new pre-
set. The current preset is indicated by a bullet (•).
● To replace the current plug-in, right-click the effect's button, and then choose a
new plug-in from the menu. Plug-ins are organized in submenus by type (EQ,
Dynamics, Reverbs, etc.).

Adjusting bus or assignable effects send levels

When the Sends control region is visible, each track displays controls you can use to route
the track to busses and assignable effects chains.

To show or hide the Sends control region, click the SENDS button in the View Controls
pane.

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When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the Faders control region is not selected,
click the CHANNEL SEND button and choose a bus or assignable effects chain from the
menu, and then drag the fader to adjust the send level.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the Faders control region is selected, the

fader handle is displayed as a , and you can use it to edit send volume automation on the
track.

NOTE The trim level is added to the automation settings so your envelope is preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has the
same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

TIP To adjust the size of the Sends control region, you can drag the bottom divider to
make more or fewer sends visible.

Bus sends are pre-volume (and pre-mute) by default. When bus sends are pre-volume, you

can create a cue mix that is independent of your main mix. For more information, see
Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console (p. 992)

To change to post-volume (and post-mute), click the PRE/POST button to switch to POST
VOLUME SEND mode.

Changing a track's input or output device

When the I/O control region is visible, each track displays controls you can use to set the
track's input device (for recording) and output device.

To show or hide the I/O control region, click the I/O button in the View Controls pane.

To choose the recording input for the track, click the Input button and choose a port from
the menu:

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To route a track to a bus, click the Output button and choose a bus from the menu:

Monitor track levels with VU/PPM meters

When the VU Meters control region is visible, you can display volume unit (VU) and peak
program (PPM) meters to help you determine the perceived loudness of your audio signal
(peak program meters provide faster response times to volume increases than VU meters).

To show or hide the VU Meters control region, click the VU METERS button in the View Con-
trols pane.

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Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut menu (or hover over the
meter and roll your mouse wheel) to change the resolution and display options.

Item Description

Use this command to show or hide meters for indi-

Show VU/PPM
vidual channels.

Reset Clip Clears clipping indicators.

The traditional VU meter is displayed with a scale of –

Traditional VU
10 dB to +2 dB. 0 dB on the VU meter equals 4 dBu.

The extended VU meter is displayed with a scale of –

Extended VU
30 dB to +8 dB. 0 dB on the VU meter equals 4 dBu.

Displays the meters in a logarithmic scale (like the

Logarithmic VU Sound Forge peak meters) instead of the linear scales
traditionally associated with VU meters.

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Item Description

The UK peak program meter (also known as a BBC

meter) is a Type II meter and is displayed with a scale
of 1 to 7, which corresponds to a range of -12 to 12
dBu:

UK Marks dBu

7 12

UK PPM 6 8

5 4

4 0

3 4

2 8

1 -12

The EBU peak program meter is a Type II meter and is

displayed with a scale of –12 to +12, which cor-
responds to -12 dBu to 12 dBu. 0 on the EBU PPM
EBU PPM equals 0 dBu.

The EBU PPM and UK PPM respond identically to

increases in volume, but the EBU PPM decays more
slowly.

The DIN peak program meter is a Type I meter and is

displayed with a scale of –50 dB to +5 dB, which cor-
DIN PPM
responds to -44 dBu to 11 dBu. 0 dB on the DIN PPM
equals 6 dBu.

The Nordic peak program meter is a Type I meter and

is displayed with a scale of –42 dB to +12 dB, which
Nordic PPM
corresponds to -42 dBu to 12 dBu. 0 dB on the Nordic
PPM equals 0 dBu.

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Item Description

Show Labels Toggles the meter level labels on and off.

Show Peaks Toggles peak level indicators on the top of the meter.

When selected, the highest peak levels are rep-

Hold Peaks
resented by a thin line on the meter.

When selected, the lowest peak levels are rep-

Hold Valleys
resented by a thin line on the meter.

When Vintage Mode is selected, the VU meters use a

Vintage Mode different calculation method to simulate the response
of analog VU meters.

Monitoring track levels with peak meters

When the Meters control region is visible, each track displays meters you can use to mon-
itor track levels.

To show or hide the Meters control region, click the METERS button in the View Controls
pane.

NOTE If the Meters control region is not visible, peak meters are displayed in the
Faders control region.

Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut menu (or hover over the
meter and roll your mouse wheel) to change the resolution and display options.

TIP Right-click the peak meters and choose SHOW PEAK METER to show or hide
meters for individual channels.

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Changing a track's automation mode

When the Faders control region is visible, each track displays controls you can use to
adjust track panning, volume and muting. The controls can adjust static (trim) or auto-
mation levels. Use the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button at the top of the Faders control
region to choose the automation mode and turn automation on or off.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

To change a track's automation recording mode, click the down arrow next to the

AUTOMATION SETTINGS button and choose a setting from the menu.

The track controls behave differently depending on the track's automation recording
mode:

●
When the track automation mode is set to OFF , the control adjusts the level of
the entire track. In this mode, the automation control acts as a second trim con-
trol.
● When the track has a volume or pan envelope and the track automation mode is

set to READ , the control will follow the envelope during playback but cannot be
adjusted.

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●
When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH , the control
edits the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not have an
envelope, an envelope will be added when you adjust the control.

Click the button (so the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected) if you want the
Fader control region controls to function as trim controls. Adjusting a trim control affects
the entire track. When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, you can use the
buttons to edit pan, volume, and mute automation for the track.

Muting or soloing a track

When the Faders control region is visible, each track displays MUTE and SOLO but-
tons.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

Muting a track

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can click the MUTE
button to prevent a track from being played in the mix. Click the MUTE button on additional
tracks to add them to the mute group. To unmute a track, click the MUTE button again.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the MUTE button is displayed as

, and you can use the button to edit mute automation.

Soloing a track

Click the SOLO button to mute all unselected tracks. Click the SOLO button on addi-
tional tracks to add them to the solo group. To remove a track from the solo group, click its
SOLO button again.

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Inverting a track's phase

When the Faders control region is visible, each track displays an INVERT TRACK PHASE

button .

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

Click the INVERT TRACK PHASE button to reverse the phase of all events on an audio
track.

Although inverting data does not make an audible difference in a single file, it can prevent
phase cancellation when mixing or crossfading audio signals.

Select multiple tracks to invert several tracks simultaneously.

NOTE If the INVERT event switch is selected, inverting the phase of the track will return
the event to its original phase.

Arming a track for recording or toggle input monitoring

When the Faders control region is visible, each track displays an ARM FOR RECORD but-

ton and an INPUT MONITOR MODE button .

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

Arming tracks for recording

Select the ARM FOR RECORD button on the tracks where you want to record. Arming a
track enables it for recording.

When a track is armed, the track meter displays the track's level. If input monitoring is not
on, the meter displays the level of your input source. If input monitoring is turned on, the
meter shows the level of the input source plus the track effects chain.

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Toggling record input monitoring

Click the INPUT MONITOR MODE button and choose a command from the menu.

NOTE This button is available only when you're using a low-latency audio device that
supports input monitoring.

To turn on input monitoring, click the INPUT MONITOR MODE button and then choose
INPUT MONITOR MODE: ON or INPUT MONITOR MODE: AUTO from the menu. During
recording, your signal will be played back with the current track effects chain, but a dry
(unprocessed) signal is recorded.

● When ON is selected, the behavior is similar to Auto mode, but you will always
hear the input monitor during recording—monitoring is not toggled on and off
when recording in to a selected event.
● When AUTO is selected, you will hear the input monitor signal when playback is
stopped and during recording. If you're recording into selected events, you'll hear
the input monitor signal only when the cursor passes over the selected events.

IMPORTANT Your ability to monitor effects in real time is dependent on your com-
puter's performance. Effect automation envelopes are bypassed during record mon-
itoring.

Adjusting track panning or volume

When the Faders control region is visible, each track displays a PAN slider and a VOLUME
fader.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

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Adjusting panning
When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can drag the PAN slider
to control the position of the track in the stereo field: dragging to the left will place the
track in the left speaker more than the right, and dragging to the right will place the track in
the right speaker.

You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or
double-click the slider to return it to 0.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the PAN slider handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use it to edit pan automation.

NOTE The trim level is added to the pan automation settings so your panning envelope
is preserved, but with an offset applied. For example, setting the trim control to 9% left
has the same effect as moving every envelope point 9% to the left.

Adjusting volume
When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can drag the VOLUME
fader to control the overall (trim) volume of the track.

You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or
double-click the slider to return it to 0.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the VOLUME fader handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use it to edit volume automation.

NOTE The trim level is added to the volume automation settings so your envelope is
preserved, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3
dB has the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

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Bus Channel Strips

A separate channel strip is displayed for each bus in your project.

To show or hide channel strips for busses, click the BUSSES button in the View Controls
pane.

Changing a bus's name

To rename a bus, double-click the label at the bottom of the channel strip and type a new
name in the box (or press F2 to rename the selected bus). The channel strip in the Mixing
Console is updated when you press Enter.

Adding or editing bus (insert) effects

When the Insert FX control region is visible, each bus displays its effects chain at the top of
the channel strip.

To show or hide the Insert FX control region, click the INSERT FX button in the View Con-
trols pane.

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Each effect is displayed as a button. You can hover over the button to see a ToolTip that
displays the full plug-in and preset name.

TIP When the Insert FX control region isn't visible, you can click the BUS FX button
in the Faders control region to display the Audio Plug-In window for the bus effects
chain.

Adding a plug-in

Click the button and then choose a new plug-in from the menu to add a
new plug-in to the effects chain.

Editing effects settings

Click an effect's button to display the Audio Plug-In window, where you can adjust the
plug-in's settings.

When you right-click an effect's button, a shortcut a menu is displayed:

● Choose SHOW <PLUG-IN NAME> to open the Audio Plug-In window, where you
can adjust the plug-in's controls.
● Choose BYPASS <PLUG-IN NAME> to temporarily bypass a plug-in.

When an effect is bypassed, its button is displayed in red text.

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● Choose REMOVE <PLUG-IN NAME> to remove a plug-in from the effects chain.

● Choose PRESETS, and then choose a setting from the submenu to load a new pre-
set. The current preset is indicated by a bullet (•).
● To replace the current plug-in, right-click the effect's button, and then choose a
new plug-in from the menu. Plug-ins are organized in submenus by type (EQ,
Dynamics, Reverbs, etc.).

Adjusting bus send levels

When the Sends control region is visible, each bus displays controls you can use to route
the bus to assignable effects chains or to busses that are routed to hardware outputs. A
bus cannot send to a bus that is directly or indirectly routed to the Master bus.

To show or hide the Sends control region, click the SENDS button in the View Controls
pane.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the Faders control region is not selected,
click the CHANNEL SEND button and choose a bus or assignable effects chain from the
menu, and then drag the fader to adjust the send level.

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When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the Faders control region is selected, the

fader handle is displayed as a , and you can use it to edit send volume automation on the
bus track.

NOTE The trim level is added to the automation settings so your envelope is preserved,
but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3 dB has the
same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

TIP To adjust the size of the Sends control region, you can drag the bottom divider to
make more or fewer sends visible.

Bus sends are post-volume (and post-mute) by default. To change to pre-volume (and
pre-mute), click the PRE/POST button to switch to PRE-VOLUME SEND mode.

Changing a bus's output device

When the I/O control region is visible, each bus displays controls you can use to set the
bus's output device.

To show or hide the I/O control region, click the I/O button in the View Controls pane.

To choose an output device, click the OUTPUT button and choose a bus or hardware out-
put from the menu.

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IMPORTANT When you route busses to hardware outputs, the outputs from those
busses will not be included in the mix when you render your project.

Monitoring bus levels with VU/PPM meters

When the VU Meters control region is visible, you can display volume unit (VU) and peak
program (PPM) meters to help you determine the perceived loudness of your audio signal
(peak program meters provide faster response times to volume increases than VU meters).

To show or hide the VU Meters control region, click the VU METERS button in the View Con-
trols pane.

Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut menu (or hover over the

meter and roll your mouse wheel) to change the resolution and display options. For
more information, see Monitor track levels with VU/PPM meters (p. 975)

Monitoring bus levels with peak meters

When the Meters control region is visible, each bus displays meters you can use to monitor
output levels.

To show or hide the Meters control region, click the METERS button in the View Controls
pane.

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NOTE If the Meters control region is not visible, peak meters are displayed in the
Faders control region.

Right-click the meter and choose a setting from the shortcut menu (or hover over the
meter and roll your mouse wheel) to change the resolution and display options.

TIP Right-click the peak meters and choose SHOW PEAK METER to show or hide
meters for individual channels.

Muting or solo a bus

When the Faders control region is visible, each bus displays MUTE and SOLO but-
tons.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

Muting a bus

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can click the MUTE
button to prevent a bus from being played in the mix. Click the MUTE button on additional
busses to add them to the mute group. To unmute a bus, click the MUTE button again.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the MUTE button is displayed as

, and you can use the button to edit mute automation on the bus track.

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Soloing a bus

Click the SOLO button to mute all unselected busses. Click the SOLO button on addi-
tional busses to add them to the solo group. To remove a bus from the solo group, click its
SOLO button again.

Adjusting bus panning or volume

When the Faders control region is visible, each bus displays a PAN slider and a VOLUME
fader.

TIP The PAN slider is displayed only when an input bus is routed to the master bus or
an auxiliary bus. It is not available when the input bus is routed directly to a hardware
output.

To show or hide the Faders control region, click the FADERS button in the View Controls
pane.

Adjusting panning
When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can drag the PAN slider
to control the position of the bus in the stereo field: dragging to the left will place the bus in
the left speaker more than the right, and dragging to the right will place the bus in the right
speaker.

You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or
double-click the slider to return it to 0.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the PAN slider handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use it to edit pan automation on the bus track.

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NOTE The trim level is added to the pan automation settings so your panning envelope
is preserved, but with an offset applied. For example, setting the trim control to 9% left
has the same effect as moving every envelope point 9% to the left.

Adjusting volume
When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is not selected, you can drag the VOLUME
fader to control the overall (trim) volume of the bus.

You can hold Ctrl while dragging the slider to adjust the setting in finer increments, or
double-click the slider to return it to 0.

When the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button is selected, the VOLUME fader handle is dis-

played as a , and you can use it to edit volume automation on the bus track.

NOTE The trim level is added to the volume automation settings so your envelope is
preserved, but with a boost or cut applied. For example, setting the trim control to -3
dB has the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

Changing pre/post routing

The PRE/POST-FADER SEND button in the Sends control region and the PRE/POST

FADER INSERT FX button in the Faders control region work together to determine the
signal flow for your busses.

The PRE/POST FADER INSERT FX button allows you to indicate whether the insert FX

chain is affected by the channel's gain fader. When set to POST FADER INSERT FX , the

FX chain is affected by the channel's gain. When set to PRE FADER INSERT FX , the FX
chain is not affected by the channel's gain fader, which is essential on the master bus
when using plug-ins that dither the audio for final rendering.

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The PRE/POST FADER SEND button allows you to create cue mixes that are not affected

by the gain (or mute/pan) stages of the bus or track. For more information, see Creat-
ing a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console (p. 992)

●
When PRE FADER INSERT FX and PRE FADER SEND are selected, your audio
signal flows as follows: bus effects — bus send — bus pan — bus volume.

●
When PRE FADER INSERT FX and POST FADER SEND are selected, your audio
signal flows as follows: bus effects — bus pan — bus volume — bus send.

●
When POST FADER INSERT FX and PRE FADER SEND are selected, your audio
signal flows as follows: bus send — bus pan — bus volume — bus effects.

●
When POST FADER INSERT FX and POST FADER SEND are selected, your
audio signal flows as follows: bus pan — bus volume — bus effects — bus send.

Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console

When you're recording, you'll often need to create separate monitor mixes: the performer
in the recording booth may need a slightly different mix than the one you're listening to in
the control room. The flexibility of the Mixing Console makes it easy to create custom cue
mixes.

When you start a new project, all audio tracks are routed to the master bus. Let's assume
that you're using the master bus for your main mix. If you have a sound card with multiple
hardware outputs, you can create alternative mixes that you can send to hardware outputs
without changing your main mix.

1. First, go to the Audio Device tab in the Preferences dialog and ensure you have a
multiple-output device selected in the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE drop-down list.

2. On the Audio tab of the Preferences dialog, clear the TRACK PREFADER SENDS
LISTEN TO MUTE check box.

3. If the Mixing Console isn't already visible, choose WINDOW > MIXING CONSOLE
from the VIEW menu.

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4. First, let's click the INSERT BUS button in the Mixing Console window to cre-
ate a new bus for our alternative mix.

5. By default, the bus is named Bus A. Let's double-click the bus label and type
"Mark's Headphones" in the box to give our bus a more descriptive name.

6. Now we need to route our headphone bus to one of our sound card's outputs.

a. In the Mixing Console, click the OUTPUT button in the I/O control region on
the cue mix bus. A menu is displayed that lists all of our sound card's out-
puts.

TIP To show or hide the I/O control region, click the I/O button in the
View Controls pane.

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b. Choose the output where you want to send the headphone mix.

c. Connect the performer's headphones to the selected output.

7. Now we need to create our headphone mix.

a. If the Sends control region isn't already visible, click the SENDS button in
the View Controls pane. Notice that each track now has a send for MARK'S
HEADPHONES (BUS A).
If you have multiple busses in your project, you can adjust the height of the
Sends control region until all sends are visible, or you can click the
CHANNEL SEND button for each track and choose MARK'S HEADPHONES
(BUS A) from the menu.

b. Click the PRE/POST in each track's Sends control region to select PRE
VOLUME SEND mode. When bus sends are pre-volume, the cue mix is inde-
pendent of the main mix.

c. Drag the fader on each track's channel strip to adjust the level of the track
that is sent to the headphone mix bus. If multiple tracks are selected, you
can adjust their bus-send levels at the same time.
Right-click the bus send fader in the track header in the main application win-
dow and choose LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN from the shortcut menu. When
this command is selected, track panning is applied to bus sends (including
pan position and panning mode). When LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN is not
selected, the track sends a center-panned stereo signal using the track's
current panning mode.
If you want to exclude a track from the headphone mix, just set its send to -
INF.
You can use the channel strip for the headphone mix bus in the Mixing Con-
sole window to adjust the level of the headphone mix, add effects to the
mix, or mute and solo the mix.
If you need to create multiple mixes, you can add up to 26 busses to the Mix-
ing Console window and repeat the procedure described in this topic.

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Loudness metering and logging

The Loudness Meters provide data about an audio file's momentary loudness, short-term
loudness, integrated (overall) loudness, and loudness range. You can use these values
when mastering for broadcast to ensure compliance with loudness standards (such as the
CALM Act).

A loudness log is a report of the loudness of an audio file and it allows you to provide doc-
umentation that your files adhere to loudness standards.

Generating a loudness log

A loudness log is a report of the loudness of your project, and it allows you to provide doc-
umentation that your audio adheres to loudness standards.

The log provides data about a project's momentary loudness, short-term loudness, integ-
rated (overall) loudness, and dynamic loudness. You can use these values when mastering
for broadcast to ensure compliance with loudness standards (such as the CALM Act).

Generating a loudness log when rendering a file

1. Use the Render As dialog to save your file.

For more information, see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

2. Click the RENDER OPTIONS button and select the SAVE LOUDNESS LOG NEXT
TO MEDIA FILE checkbox if you want VEGAS Pro to analyze the loudness of your
file and create a log file that summarizes its loudness values.
The loudness log is created using the same folder and base name as your sound
file with _loud.txt appended to the name.
The log will record the file name, format, loudness metering mode, and loudness
values throughout the file.

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IMPORTANT
Loudness logging is performed after the plug-in chain, but before any codec is
applied to your rendered file. Because audio compression may affect audio
levels, choose TOOLS | GENERATE LOUDNESS LOG to analyze a rendered file
after saving to a compressed format.
When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Project
Properties dialog is set to 5.1 SURROUND, surround processing is applied
when measuring loudness (a gain of ~1.5 dB is applied to the left and right sur-
round channels). When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list is set to
STEREO, all channels contribute equally to the loudness measurement. For
more information about loudness values, please see Loudness meters (p. 40)

Generating a loudness log for the timeline

1. Select the data you want to analyze.

TIP If no data is selected, the entire timeline is analyzed.

2. Choose TOOLS | GENERATE LOUDNESS LOG.

The loudness log is created using the same folder and base name as your project
file with _loud.txt appended to the name.
The log will record the file name, format, loudness metering mode, and loudness
values throughout the selection or file.
If the OPEN EDITOR WHEN NEW LOUDNESS LOG IS GENERATED checkbox is
selected on the Audio tab in the Preferences dialog, the log will be automatically
opened in your default text editor.
When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Project Prop-
erties dialog is set to 5.1 SURROUND, surround processing is applied when meas-
uring loudness (a gain of ~1.5 dB is applied to the left and right surround
channels). When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list is set to STEREO, all
channels contribute equally to the loudness measurement. For more information
about loudness values, please see Loudness meters (p. 40)

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Timecode synchronization
VEGAS® Pro can generate MIDI timecode and MIDI clock or be triggered from MIDI time-
code. These features allow you to synchronize your VEGAS Pro project with other audio
applications and external audio hardware.

Generate MIDI Timecode

From the Options menu, choose TIMECODE, and choose GENERATE MIDI TIMECODE from

the submenu if you want to generate MIDI timecode (MTC) when you click PLAY .

MIDI timecode (MTC) is a standard timecode that most applications and some hardware
devices will use to synchronize themselves.

Generating MIDI timecode

1. Specify a MIDI OUTPUT DEVICE to which you will send the timecode and a FRAME
RATE for the timecode. These options can be found on the Sync page of the

Preferences dialog. For more information, see Sync Tab (p. 1165)

2. From the Options menu, choose TIMECODE, and choose GENERATE MIDI
TIMECODE from the submenu.

VEGAS Pro will generate MTC starting wherever you click PLAY .

Viewing outgoing timecode

To view the outgoing timecode, right-click the Time Display and choose MIDI TIMECODE
OUT from the shortcut menu. The text will now display the outgoing MTC time.

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Generate MIDI Clock

From the Options menu, choose TIMECODE, and choose GENERATE MIDI CLOCK from the

submenu if you want to generate MIDI clock when you click PLAY .

MIDI clock differs from MIDI timecode in that it contains tempo as well as positional inform-
ation. MIDI clock is essentially measured in ticks from the beginning of the project. MIDI
clock sends 24 ticks per quarter note, and the tick length is dependent on the MEASURES

AND BEATS settings on the Ruler tab of the Project Properties dialog. For more inform-
ation, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

Generating MIDI clock

1. Specify a MIDI OUTPUT DEVICE to which you will send the clock. This option can

be found on the Sync page of the Preferences dialog. For more information,
see Sync Tab (p. 1165)

2. From the Options menu, choose TIMECODE, and choose GENERATE MIDI CLOCK
from the submenu.

VEGAS Pro will generate MIDI clock when you click PLAY .

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Viewing outgoing MIDI clock

To view the outgoing clock, right-click the Time Display and choose MIDI CLOCK OUT from
the shortcut menu. The text will now display the outgoing MIDI clock time.

Trigger from MIDI Timecode

From the Options menu, choose TIMECODE, and then choose TRIGGER FROM MIDI
TIMECODE from the submenu if you want to initiate VEGAS Pro playback by receiving time-
code from another device.

NOTE To update the ruler, right-click the ruler and choose RULER OFFSET or edit the
RULER START TIME setting on the Ruler tab of the Project Properties dialog.

Triggering playback from MIDI timecode

1. Connect a word clock signal between your computer and triggering device to lock
synchronization.

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2. Configure your trigger device to send MIDI timecode (MTC) to your computer.

3. Configure VEGAS Pro to receive MTC:

a. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the Sync tab.

b. From the INPUT DEVICE drop-down list, choose the port from which you will
receive MTC.

c. From the FRAME RATE drop-down list, choose the frame rate that your trig-
ger device will use to send MTC to VEGAS Pro.

d. From the Options menu, choose TIMECODE, and choose TRIGGER FROM
MIDI TIMECODE from the submenu.
When an incoming MTC signal is received, playback will begin from the pos-
ition indicated by the timecode. If VEGAS Pro software is not receiving MTC,
you can play and edit normally.

Viewing incoming timecode

To view the incoming timecode, right-click the Time Displayand choose MIDI TIMECODE IN
from the shortcut menu. The text will now display the incoming MTC time.

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This display will also show status and error information. If TRIGGER FROM MIDI TIMECODE
is enabled but no MTC is detected, the display will show LISTENING... If the wrong frame
rate of MTC is being detected the display will show WRONG FORMAT.

Audio effects

Adding audio effects

Adding audio track effects

Track-level DirectX or VST plug-ins are applied to every event on the selected track.

TIP To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins and plug-in packages from the Plug-
In Manager window to an audio track header. For more information, see Creating and
using effects packages and FX chains (p. 541) and The Plug-In Manager Window (p.
37)The Plug-In Manager Window (p. 37)

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IMPORTANT
Be aware that using plug-ins (such as Time Stretch, Pitch-Shift without preserving dur-
ation, and some Vibrato settings) will cause audio to play out of synchronization with
the waveform display in the timeline and with other tracks. If an effects chain includes

non-in-place plug-ins, the effects chain icon will be displayed in yellow ( ) to indicate
that automatic plug-in delay compensation is being used.

When input monitoring is on during audio recording, plug-in chains that cannot be used

for live monitoring are automatically bypassed and are displayed in red ( ). For more
information, see Recording audio (p. 884)

Automating effect parameters

If a plug-in supports it, you can use envelopes to automatically adjust effect parameters
over time. Automation envelopes can be added to tracks and bus tracks to control indi-
vidual effect parameters for track effects, bus effects, and assignable effects.

For more information about using automation envelopes on tracks, see Automating audio
effect parameters (p. 1086)

When you add a plug-in that supports automation, the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION button

is displayed in the Audio Track FX window:

● After you've added effect automation envelopes, the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION

button is deselected, and effect parameters are automated using the envelope
settings.
● When the button is selected, effect automation envelopes are ignored and the
effect's initial state is used for the duration of the track.
● If you delete all automation envelopes from a plug-in, the BYPASS FX
AUTOMATION button is unavailable.

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TIP
If you're working with a 5.1 surround project, you can use distinct plug-in settings for
each channel (separate EQ settings for the front and surround speakers, for example)
using effect automation. Add multiple instances of the plug-in to the track effects chain
and select the ENABLE check boxes in the FX Automation Chooser for the channels

you want each instance of the plug-in to affect. For more information, see Auto-
mating audio effect parameters (p. 1086)

Adding audio event effects

Event-level DirectX or VST plug-ins are applied only to the event where they are applied.

IMPORTANT
Be aware that using plug-ins (such as Time Stretch, Pitch-Shift without preserving dur-
ation, and some Vibrato settings) will cause audio to play out of synchronization with
the waveform display in the timeline and with other tracks. If an effects chain includes

non-in-place plug-ins, the effects chain icon will be displayed in yellow ( ) to indicate
that automatic plug-in delay compensation is being used.

When input monitoring is on during audio recording, plug-in chains that cannot be used

for live monitoring are automatically bypassed and are displayed in red ( ).

Creating an event effects chain

1. Click the EVENT FX button on the event in the timeline, or choose TOOLS |
AUDIO | AUDIO EVENT FX.
If there are no effects added to the event, the Plug-In Chooser window appears.
If there are effects added to the event, the Audio Event FX window appears. Click

the PLUG-IN CHAIN button to open the Plug-In Chooser.

2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.

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The plug-ins appear at the top of the window in the order in which you added
them.

TIP To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, simply drag a plug-in button to a
new location.

3. Click the OK button.

The Audio Event FX window appears.

4. Use the settings in the Audio Event FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit
effect parameters, and add/remove effects from a chain.

Editing an event effects chain

1. Click the EVENT FX button on the event in the timeline.

The Audio Event FX window appears.

2. Select an effect button at the top of the window.

TIP Clear the checkbox to bypass an effect without removing it from the chain.

3. Use the controls in the bottom half of the window to adjust the effect's settings.

For more information, see Editing audio effects (p. 1014)

Using bus effects

In addition to assigning effects to individual tracks, you may also apply DirectX and VST
effects to busses.

Bus effects will be applied to all tracks assigned to that bus. If a track contains track
effects and bus effects, track effects will be processed before the bus effects.

To specify whether the bus level is applied before or after the bus effects chain, do one of
the following:

●
Click the PRE/POST FADER INSERT FX button / in the Faders control region
of the bus channel strip.

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●
Right-click the button in the bus track or bus control and choose POST
VOLUME from the shortcut menu if you want to apply the effects chain after the
bus volume. This has the same effect as right-clicking the bus output fader and
choosing PRE FX from the shortcut menu.

When you're working with 5.1 surround projects, the Master bus supports 5.1-channel
audio effects.

TIP
● To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins and plug-in packages from the
Plug-In Manager window to busses in the Mixing Console window or a bus
track header.
● If you want to add effects to all audio in your project, you can add effects to
the Master bus.

IMPORTANT When input monitoring is on during audio recording, audio effects chains

that contain non-in-place plug-ins are displayed in yellow ( ) to indicate that auto-
matic plug-in delay compensation is being used. Chains that cannot be used for live

monitoring are automatically bypassed and are displayed in red ( ).

MORE INFORMATION
● Creating a cue (headphone) mix with the Mixing Console (p. 992)

● Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

● The Plug-In Manager Window (p. 37)

Applying effects to a bus

1. Click the BUS FX button located on the bus's audio bus track. The Plug-in
Chooser window appears.

TIP You can also use the Insert FX control region in the bus channelstrip to add
or edit bus effects.

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2. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button, or browse to an FX
package.

TIP To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, simply drag a plug-in button to a
new location.

3. When you have finished adding the plug-ins, click the OK button.

MORE INFORMATION
● Audio bus tracks (p. 407)

● Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

Editing effects on a bus

1. Click the BUS FX button located on the audio bus track. If the bus has an
effects chain, the Bus FX window is displayed.

2. Use the Bus FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit effect parameters, and
add/remove effects from a chain.

TIP You can also use the Insert FX control region in the bus channel strip to add or edit
bus effects.

MORE INFORMATION
● Editing audio effects (p. 1014)

● Bus Channel Strips (p. 984)

Automating effect parameters

If a plug-in supports it, you can use envelopes to automatically adjust effect parameters
over time. Automation envelopes can be added to tracks and bus tracks to control indi-
vidual effect parameters for track effects, bus effects, and assignable effects.

When you add a plug-in that supports automation (effects that can be automated are indic-

ated by the icon in the Plug-In Chooser), the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION button is dis-
played in the Bus FX window:

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● After you've added effect automation envelopes, the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION

button is deselected, and effect parameters are automated using the envelope
settings.
● When the button is selected, effect automation envelopes are ignored and the
effect's initial state is used for the duration of the track.
● If you delete all automation envelopes from a plug-in, the BYPASS FX
AUTOMATION button is unavailable.
MORE INFORMATION
● Automating audio effect parameters (p. 1086)

Applying non-real-time event effects

Most processing in VEGAS Pro is nondestructive: editing events and adding effects does
not modify your source media.

You can use non-real-time event effects to add effects to an event and render a new
media file that includes the processed audio. Non-real-time effects are useful for large pro-
jects or for processor-intensive plug-ins.

TIP To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins and plug-in packages from the Plug-

In Manager window to an event in the timeline. For more information, see The Plug-
In Manager Window (p. 37)

1. Select the event that contains the take you would like to process.

2. From the Tools menu, choose AUDIO, then APPLY NON-REAL-TIME EVENT FX.
The Plug-Ins Chooser dialog appears.

3. Select each plug-in you want to add and click the ADD button.

TIP To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, simply drag a plug-in button to a
new location.

4. Click the OK button. The Take dialog box is displayed with the settings for the first
plug-in of the chain.

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5. Adjust the settings for each effect. Click the help button within the FX window for
information about each plug-in's settings. You can preview the processed audio

by clicking the PREVIEW button .

6. When you have finished adjusting the effect settings, click the OK button. The
Apply Non Real-Time FX dialog appears.

7. Specify a file name and format for the new media file.

8. Click the RENDER button. After processing, a new file is added to the Project

Media window and a new take is added to the event. For more information,
see Using takes as alternate versions of events (p. 353)

Using assignable effects

You can use assignable effects chains when you want to route multiple tracks to a chain of
DirectX or VST plug-ins while setting the level for each track independently.

You can add up to 32 assignable effects chains to the Mixing Console window. Each chain
can have up to 32 plug-ins.

IMPORTANT When input monitoring is on during audio recording, audio effects chains

that contain non-in-place plug-ins are displayed in yellow ( ) to indicate that auto-
matic plug-in delay compensation is being used. Chains that cannot be used for live

monitoring are automatically bypassed and are displayed in red ( ).

Adding an assignable effects chain

From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ASSIGNABLE FX (or click the INSERT ASSIGNABLE

FX button in the Mixing Console toolbar) to create an effects chain to which you can
route tracks in your project.

You can create up to 32 assignable effects chains in your project, and each chain can con-
tain up to 32 effects.

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TIP To add effects quickly, you can drag plug-ins and plug-in packages from the Plug-
In Manager window to the Mixing Console window. Drop on an existing assignable

effects control to add plug-ins to the chain. For more information, see The Plug-In
Manager Window (p. 37)

IMPORTANT When input monitoring is on during audio recording, audio effects chains

that contain non-in-place plug-ins are displayed in yellow ( ) to indicate that auto-
matic plug-in delay compensation is being used. Chains that cannot be used for live

monitoring are automatically bypassed and are displayed in red ( ).

Creating an assignable effects chain

1. From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ASSIGNABLE FX. The Plug-In Chooser win-
dow appears.

2. Click each plug-in you want to add, and click the ADD button, or browse to an
effects package. The plug-ins appear at the bottom of the window in the order in
which you added them.

TIP To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, simply drag a plug-in button to a

new location, or click the MOVE PLUG-IN LEFT or MOVEPLUG-IN RIGHT

buttons.

3. Once you have added all of the plug-ins and specified the plug-in chain order,
click the OK button. The new chain is added to the Mixing Console window, and
the Assignable FX window appears.

4. Adjust the settings for the effects. For more information about using specific plug-
ins, click the PLUG-IN HELP button .

When you create an assignable effects chain for your project, the REMOVE ASSIGNABLE
FX command is enabled on the Tools | Audio submenu so you can delete a chain from the
project.

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TIP If the Mixing Console window is visible, click the INSERT ASSIGNABLE FX button

in the toolbar. For more information, see The Mixing Console Window (p. 39)

Editing an assignable effects chain

1. Click the ASSIGNABLE FX button located on the effect chain's audio bus track.

For more information, see Audio bus tracks (p. 407)

The Assignable FX window is displayed.

2. Use the Assignable FX window to enable/bypass effects, edit effect parameters,

and add/remove effects from a chain. For more information, see Editing audio
effects (p. 1014)

TIP If the Mixing Console Window is visible, you can use the Insert FX control region in

the assignable effects channel strip to edit the assignable effects chain. For more
information, see "FX Send (Assignable Effects) Channel Strips."

Deleting an assignable effects chain

When you remove an assignable effects chain, it is deleted from the project. You must
recreate the chain if you want to use it again. If you want to keep the chain, but do not want

to use it in your current project, you may save the chain as a preset. For more inform-
ation, see Creating and using effects packages and FX chains (p. 541)

TIP To bypass an assignable effects chain without removing it from the project, select

the MUTE button in the Faders control region of the assignable effects channel

strip. For more information, see "FX Send (Assignable Effects) Channel Strips."

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Right-click an assignable effects channel strip in the Mixing Console window and choose
DELETE from the shortcut menu, or select an assignable effects channel strip and press
the Delete key.

Automating effect parameters

If a plug-in supports it, you can use envelopes to automatically adjust effect parameters
over time. To automate assignable effects, add automation envelopes to the assignable

effect's audio bus track. For more information, see Audio bus tracks (p. 407)

For more information about automating effect parameters, see Automating audio effect
parameters (p. 1086)

Routing tracks to an assignable effects chain

Routing tracks to an assignable effects chain allows you to assign multiple tracks to a plug-
in chain.

NOTE In order to route tracks to an assignable effects chain, you must first add an

assignable effects chain to your project. For more information, see Adding an
assignable effects chain (p. 1008)

1. Click the label on the multipurpose slider and choose the desired assignable
effects chain from the menu. The button name changes to reflect the name of the
selected chain.

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NOTE If you can't see themultipurpose fader, drag the bottom edge of the
track header to increaseits height.

2. Drag the fader to adjust the level of the track sent to the assignable effects chain.
If you set the DRY OUT faders in your effects chain to -inf, you can adjust the
wet/dry balance using the VOLUME fader Faders control region of the assignable

effects channel strip. For more information, see "FX Send (Assignable Effects)
Channel Strips."

TIP
● If the Mixing Console Window is visible, you can use the Sends control
region in the audio track channel strip to send a track to an assignable

effects chain. For more information, see Audio Track Channel Strips
(p. 971)
● FX sends are post-volume by default. To change to pre-volume, right-
click the FX fader and choose PRE VOLUME from the shortcut menu.
● If you want to apply track panning (including pan position and panning
mode) to FX sends, right click the FX fader and choose LINK TO MAIN

TRACK PAN from the shortcut menu. For more information, see
Audio panning modes (p. 908)
When LINK TO MAIN TRACK PAN is not selected, the track sends a cen-
ter-panned stereo signal using the track's current panning mode.
● Select the USE LEGACY TRACK SEND GAIN checkbox on the Audio page
of the Preferences dialog if you want to configure audio track sends to
behave as they did in VEGAS Pro 7.0 and earlier. When the checkbox is
selected, you can open projects created with earlier versions of VEGAS
Pro and be assured they will sound the same as they did in earlier ver-
sions of VEGAS Pro.

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Using assignable effects envelopes

Assignable effects envelopes allow you to change the level of a track sent to an assignable
effects chain over time.

For more information, see Using assignable effects (p. 1008) and Audio track auto-
mation (p. 1074)

Removing an assignable effects chain

When you remove an assignable effects chain, it is deleted from the project. You must
recreate the chain if you want to use it again. If you want to keep the chain, but do not want

to use it in your current project, you may save the chain as a preset. For more inform-
ation, see Creating and using effects packages and FX chains (p. 541)

TIP To bypass an assignable effects chain without removing it from the project, select

the MUTE button in the Assignable FX Control.

1. In the Mixing Console window, select the assignable effects chain you want to
remove (to select multiple chains, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting).

2. Right-click a selected chain and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu (or press
Delete). The effects chains are removed from your project.

Bypassing all audio effects

From the Options menu, choose BYPASS ALL AUDIO FX to omit all audio effects (track,
bus, and assignable effects) during playback.

Bypassing effects allows you to quickly compare your project with and without effects and
conserve processing power to avoid playback problems.

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TIP When effects are bypassed, you can choose whether bypassed effects remain
open. When the KEEP BYPASSED FX RUNNING checkbox on the General tab of the
Preferences dialog is selected, effects remain open so you can bypass/enable effects
with no pause for A/B testing. When the checkbox is cleared, effects are fully
bypassed, conserving processing power.

Editing audio effects

Audio effect settings are displayed when you click the button on a track, bus, or
assignable FX control.

Use the effects window to enable/bypass effects, edit effect parameters, add/remove Dir-
ectX and VST effects from tracks, busses, and assignable FX chains, edit effect para-
meters, and configure effects automation.

NOTE If no effects have been added to a track or bus, the button is displayed in gray
. Click the button to display the Plug-In Chooser, where you can select the plug-ins you
want to use.

TIP
● To move faders and sliders in fine increments, hold Ctrl while dragging the con-
trol.
● Double-click the title bar of the audio effects window to resize the window for
the current plug-in.

Enabling or bypassing effects

Select the checkbox for each plug-in you want to apply or clear a checkbox to bypass an
effect without removing it from the chain.

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TIP
The effect of plug-ins on a chain is cumulative, so you may need to rearrange the plug-
ins so that one plug-in's processing does not adversely affect other plug-ins in the
chain. To reorder the plug-ins within the chain, drag a plug-in button to a new location.

TIP You can bypass or enable all plug-ins by right-clicking the button in the track
list and choosing ENABLE ALL or BYPASS ALL from the shortcut menu.

Editing effect parameters

Click the plug-in's button to select it, and use the bottom half of the window to adjust the
effect's parameters. For more information about using specific plug-ins, click the PLUG-IN

HELP button .

Adding or removing effects

1. Click the PLUG-IN CHAIN button to display the Plug-In Chooser.

2. Select a plug-in button, and then click the ADD or REMOVE button. The modified
chain is displayed at the top of the window.

● Effects that can be automated are indicated by the icon in the Plug-In
Chooser.

● VST plug-ins are indicated by the icon in the Plug-In Chooser.

● If you select a plug-in package, that chain will replace the current chain.

3. Click the OK button.

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TIP
● You can bypass, enable, or delete all plug-ins in the chain by right-clicking the

button in the track list.

● You can remove a plug-in from the chain by selecting a plug-in and clicking the

REMOVE SELECTED PLUG-IN button .

Loading a plug-in preset

Loading a preset for an individual DirectX plug-in

Choose a setting from the PRESET drop-down list. The plug-in settings stored in the pre-
set are loaded.

Loading a preset for an individual VST plug-in

1. Click the OPEN VST PRESET button .

2. The Open VST Preset dialog is displayed.

3. Browse to the .fxp file that you want to use.

4. Click the OPEN button.

5. The current VST preset is replaced with the settings stored in the .fxp file.

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Loading a bank of VST plug-in presets

1. Click the OPEN VST BANK button .

2. The Open VST Preset Bank dialog is displayed.

3. Browse to the .fxb file that you want to use.

4. Click the OPEN button.

5. All presets for the current VST plug-in are replaced with the settings stored in the
.fxb file, and the first preset in the bank is loaded by default.

Creating or deleting a preset

Saving a preset for an individual DirectX plug-in

1. Adjust the settings for the plug-in.

2. Type a name in the PRESET box.

3. Click the SAVE PRESET button . The settings for the current plug-in are saved.

Saving a preset for an individual VST plug-in

1. Type a name in the PRESET box.

2. Click the SAVE VST PRESET AS button .

3. The Save VST Preset dialog is displayed.

4. Browse to the folder where you want to save the .fxp file and type a name in the
FILE NAME box.

5. Click the SAVE button. The current plug-in settings are saved in the .fxp file.

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Saving a bank of VST plug-in presets

1. Click the SAVE VST BANK AS button .

The Save VST Preset Bank dialog is displayed.

2. Browse to the folder where you want to save the .fxb file and type a name in the
FILE NAME box.

3. Click the SAVE button. All presets for the current plug-in are stored in the bank.

Delete a preset

Choose a preset from the PRESET drop-down list and click the DELETE button .

NOTE
● You cannot delete built-in presets.

● VST plug-in settings are loaded or saved using .fxp and .fxb files as described
above. Individual presets and banks cannot be deleted from this window.

Automating effect parameters

If a plug-in supports it, you can use envelopes to automatically adjust effect parameters
over time. Automation envelopes can be added to tracks and bus tracks to control indi-
vidual effect parameters for track effects, bus effects, and assignable effects.

For more information about using automation envelopes on tracks, see Automating audio
effect parameters (p. 1086)

When you add a plug-in that supports automation (effects that can be automated are indic-

ated by the icon in the Plug-In Chooser), the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION button is dis-
played in the window:
● After you've added effect automation envelopes, the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION
button is deselected, and effect parameters are automated using the envelope
settings.

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● When the button is selected, effect automation envelopes are ignored and the
effect's initial state is used for the duration of the track.
● If you delete all automation envelopes from a plug-in, the BYPASS FX
AUTOMATION button is unavailable.

Extracting audio from CDs

From the File menu, choose EXTRACT AUDIO FROM CD to extract tracks from a CD and
open them as events in your VEGAS Pro project.

TIP Double-click a .cda file in the Explorer window (or drag it to the timeline) to extract
a CD track without opening the Extract Audio from CD dialog.

IMPORTANT VEGAS Pro software is not intended, and should not be used for, illegal or
infringing purposes, such as the illegal copying or sharing of copyrighted materials.
Using VEGAS Pro for such purposes is, among other things, against United States and
international copyright laws and contrary to the terms and conditions of the End User
License Agreement. Such activity may be punishable by law and may also subject you
to the breach remedies set forth in the End User License Agreement.

1. From the File menu, choose EXTRACT AUDIO FROM CD (or click the EXTRACT

AUDIO FROM CD button on the Project Media window). The Extract Audio from
CD dialog is displayed.

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2. Choose a setting from the ACTION drop-down list to indicate how you want to
extract audio:

Item Description

Read Choose to extract individual CD tracks. Select the tracks you

by want to extract in the TRACKS TO EXTRACT list. Each CD track is
track extracted to a new track in your project.

Read
Choose to extract the current CD to a single file. The disc is
entire
extracted to a new track in your project.
disc

Read Choose to extract a time range. You can specify a starting time
by and ending time (or a starting time and length). The time range is
range extracted to a new track in your project.

3. If you choose READ BY TRACK or READ BY RANGE from the ACTION drop-down
list, select the tracks or time range you want to extract.

NOTE Click PLAY to preview your selection. In order to preview, your CD

drive's audio output must be connected to your sound card, or you can con-
nect headphones to the front of the CD drive.

4. From the DRIVE drop-down list, choose the drive that contains the CD from which
you want to extract audio.

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5. From the SPEED drop-down list, choose the rate at which you want to extract
audio. If you experience gapping or glitching, decrease the speed or click
CONFIGURE and adjust the AUDIO EXTRACT OPTIMIZATION slider.

6. Click OK to start extracting audio.

7. Type a file name and choose a location for the file.

The extracted files are added to the Project Media window when extraction is com-
plete.

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Exporting and sharing projects

Rendering projects (Render As)

When you're finished editing your VEGAS® Pro project—or when you want to see it in its
final form—you can use the Render As dialog to convert your project to another format and
create a single file on your hard drive.

From the File menu, choose RENDER AS to display the Render As dialog.

When you're finished editing your VEGAS® Pro project—or when you want to see it in its
final form—you can use the SAVE IT TO MY HARD DRIVE destination in the Make Movie
wizard save your project as a single file on your hard drive.

If you need access to more rendering options, click the ADVANCED OPTIONS button to
open the Render As dialog.

TIP
When you render your project, the project file is not affected (overwritten, deleted, or
altered) during the rendering process. You may return to the original project to make
edits or adjustments and render it again.

If you've prerendered your project, those prerendered sections can be used for your

final render when the destination formats match. For more information, see Select-
ively prerender video (p. 208)

IMPORTANT When you route busses to hardware outputs, the outputs from those

busses will not be included in the mix when you render your project. For more
information, see Routing busses (p. 940)

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Rendering your project

1. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS to display the Render As dialog.

2. Use the FOLDER text box to choose where you want to save your file:
a. The FOLDER box displays the path to the folder where your file will be
saved. Click the down arrow to choose a recently used folder, or click the
BROWSE button to specify a new folder.

TIP Click the PROJECT LOCATION button to quickly choose the folder
where the VEGAS Pro project is stored.

b. Type a name in the NAME box, or click the BROWSE button and select a file
in the browse window to replace an existing file.

3. Use the Formats selection box to choose the type of file you want to create.
The FORMATS selection box displays the file types and formats you can use to
render your file. When you select a format the TEMPLATES selection box updates
to display available templates for that format. Click a template to select it and use
that format for rendering, or select a template and click the CUSTOMIZE

TEMPLATE button to modify the template's settings. For more information,

see Custom rendering templates (p. 1044)

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TIP
● You can type in the SEARCH RENDER TEMPLATES box to find tem-
plates. For example, if you wanted to render a video for an Internet video,
you could type "Internet" in the box to display only templates that include
the term "Internet" in the template name or description.
● If you have templates that you use often, you can create favorites. Click

the gray star next to a template name to mark that template as a favor-
ite. You can then select SHOW FAVORITES ONLY from the FILTERS

drop-down menu to display only your favorites in the Render As dia-

log.
● Use the Filters drop-down to choose templates that match your project
settings (frame size, pixel aspect ratio, and frame rate). If you want to dis-
play only templates that match your project settings, select the MATCH
PROJECT SETTINGS check box.
● To create a 5.1 surround audio stream for your DVD, render your audio
using the Dolby Digital AC-3 Studio plug-in with the 5.1 SURROUND DVD
or 5.1 SURROUND DVD, AGC ON template.

NOTE
You'll need to choose a rendering template that inserts fields to create a stand-
ard DV file if your project properties are set to 24p or if you selected the
ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P DV checkbox on the Gen-
eral tab of the Preferences dialog. Use the NTSC DV 24P (INSERTING 2-3-3-2
PULLDOWN) template if you intend to bring the file back into the timeline as
source material.

If you cleared the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P DV

checkbox before adding your media and your project properties are not set to
24p, your 24p video is read as 29.97 fps interlaced video (60i), so you can
choose whichever NTSC DV or PAL DV template suits your project require-
ments.

4. If you're rendering to .wav, .w64, .avi, or .mxf format, you can select the ENABLE
MULTICHANNEL MAPPING checkbox to render a file with multiple audio channels.

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For more information, see Rendering Multichannel Audio Files (p. 1035)

5. Select or clear the check boxes in the RENDER OPTIONS section as needed.
Some options may not be available if they do not apply to your project. For
instance, the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox is availabe only if you’ve
created a time selection in the timeline.

a. Select the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox if you want to save only
the portion of the project that is contained within the loop region. LOOP
PLAYBACK does not need to be selected for this option to work.

b. Select the STRETCH VIDEO TO FILL OUTPUT FRAME SIZE (DO NOT
LETTERBOX) checkbox when you are rendering to an output format with a
slightly different aspect ratio than your project settings. This will prevent
black bars from appearing on the top and bottom or the sides of the output.

c. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're

rendering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting
from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered file.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media
Properties setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use this set-
ting to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

d. If the selected file type supports it, you can select the SAVE PROJECT
MARKERS IN MEDIA FILE checkbox to include markers, regions, and com-
mand markers in the rendered media file.

For more information, see Inserting markers (p. 267)Inserting regions (p.
269)and Inserting command markers (p. 273)

e. Select the SAVE PROJECT AS PATH REFERENCE IN RENDERED FILE check-

box if you want to save the path to your VEGAS Pro project in the rendered
file. Saving the project path allows you to easily return to the source project
if you use your rendered file in another project.

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NOTE
● The project information in the rendered file is a reference to a pro-
ject file only. If you modify the project file after rendering, the pro-
ject data will no longer match the rendered file. To edit a project
using a path reference, the project file and all media must be avail-
able on your computer.
● The checkbox will be unavailable if you haven't saved your project
or if you're rendering using a third-party file-format plug-in.

●
For more information, see Project references in rendered files
(p. 109)

f. Select the SAVE LOUDNESS LOG FILE NEXT TO MEDIA FILE checkbox if you
want VEGAS Pro to analyze the loudness of your file and create a log file that
summarizes its loudness values.
The loudness log is created using the same folder and base name as your
sound file with _loud.txt appended to the name.
The log will record the file name, format, loudness metering mode, and loud-
ness values throughout the file.

IMPORTANT
Loudness logging is performed after the plug-in chain, but before any
codec is applied to your rendered file. Because audio compression may
affect audio levels, choose TOOLS | GENERATE LOUDNESS LOG to ana-
lyze a rendered file after saving to a compressed format.
When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Pro-
ject Properties dialog is set to 5.1 SURROUND, surround processing is
applied when measuring loudness (a gain of ~1.5 dB is applied to the left
and right surround channels). When the MASTER BUS MODE drop-down
list is set to STEREO, all channels contribute equally to the loudness
measurement. For more information about loudness values, please see
Loudness meters (p. 40)

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g. Select the enable multichannel mapping if you want to render a single audio

file with multiple audio channels. For more information, see Rendering
Multichannel Audio Files (p. 1035)

6. Click the RENDER button. A dialog is displayed to show rendering progress. See
below for more information.

TIP
Render progress is displayed in the Windows task bar. If the render time is
greater than a minute, a sound is played when rendering is complete.
To change the sound, open the Windows Settings | Personalization | Themes
and click on SOUNDS. In the tree view below, expand the VEGAS Pro22 entry.
When you select the RENDER COMPLETE event, you can preview the current
sound, assign a new sound, or turn off the RENDER COMPLETE sound.

7. When rendering is complete, click the OPEN button to play the file with its asso-
ciated player, or click OPEN FOLDER to open the folder where you saved the file.

Smart rendering
When you render video to any of the following formats, unedited video frames are passed
through without recompression (smart rendering):
● DV AVI

● DV MXF

● IMX MXF (IMX 24p MXF is not supported for no-recompress rendering)

● XAVC Intra MXF

● HD MXF

● MPEG-2 (for files such as those from HDV and DVD camcorders)

● Panasonic P2

For more information, see Working with P2 Video (p. 116)

● XDCAM EX supports smart rendering across the following formats:

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● SP 18.3 Mbps CBR 1280x720p to/from XDCAM EX and HDV HD-1

● SP 25 Mbps CBR 1440x1080i to/from XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD, and HDV HD-2

● HQ 35 Mbps VBR 1440x1080 to/from XDCAM EX and XDCAM HD

● HQ 35 Mbps VBR 1280x720p to/from XDCAM EX

● HQ 35 Mbps VBR 1920x1080 to/from XDCAM EX

NOTE In order to perform smart rendering, the width, height, frame rate, field order, pro-
file, level, and bit rate of the source media, project settings, and rendering template
must match. Frames that have effects, compositing, or transitions applied will be
rendered.

You can clear the ENABLE NO-RECOMPRESS RENDERING checkbox on the General tab
of the Preferences dialog to turn the feature off.

Render Progress Dialog

After starting the render process the following dialog is shown:

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Beneath the file name and progress bar you see a couple of useful information about the
render progress:
● The estimated file size of your video and how much of it (in size and percentage)
is already rendered.
● The elapsed time since the render process was started and the estimated remain-
ing time.

Click the arrow symbol in the Estimated Properties, Performance and Options section to
reveal additional information and options. ESTIMATED PROPERTIES shows the remaining
free disc space, estimated total rendering duration and the time the render process will be
finished. PERFORMANCE shows the momentary and average render speed in frames per
second and the memory and CPU usage.

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In the OPTIONS section, you can choose to open the folder of the rendered video and/or
close the render progress dialog after rendering is complete.

Apple ProRes
Apple ProRes is an industry standard intermediate codec that does its best to preserve
detail in your footage across multiple generations of edits. VEGAS Pro supports both
import and export for ProRes files. The files output on export have been officially certified
as compliant by Apple.

To Render to ProRes:

1. Choose FILE | RENDER AS. In the RENDER AS dialog box.

2. Select Apple ProRes from the Formats list.

3. Select a render preset from the Templates list.

TIP Templates whose properties match those of your project contain an Equal
sign(=)to the left of their names.

To create a custom template, select the template that most closely matches the
one you want to create and click the Customize Template button.

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4. In the CUSTOM SETTINGS -APPLE PRORES dialog box, set the parameters that
you want.

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5. Enter a name for your custom template into the TEMPLATE field and click the
SAVE TEMPLATE button. Enter any notes you want in the NOTES field.

6. Specify your desired values in the remaining fields:

Frame The resolution you want to render to. ProRes supports custom
Size resolutions as well as standardized resolutions

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The ProRes encode mode being used:

the most highly compressed ProRes encoding

ProRes
option, intended for proxy usage with a data
422
rate of approximately 45 mbps for 1080p
(Proxy)
video at 29.97fps

a compressed form of ProRes 422, but better

ProRes quality than the proxy version with a data rate
422 (LT) of approximately 102 mbps for 1080p video at
29.97fps

uses 4:2:2 YUV compression with a data rate

ProRes
of approximately 147 mbps for 1080p at
422
Profile 29.97fps

ProRes uses 4:2:2 YUV compression, but it has a

422 much higher data rate of approximately
(HQ) 220mbps for 1080p at 29.97fps

uses 4:4:4 YUV compression and supports 12-

ProRes bit color and 16 bits for the alpha channel with
4444 a data rate ofapproximately 330mbps for
1080p 30fps

utilizes 4:4:4 YUV compression and supports

ProRes
12-bit color and 16 bits for the alpha chan-
4444
nelwith adata rate ofapproximately 500mbps
(XQ)
for 1080p 30fps

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Frame
The number of frames per second that your rendered file uses
Rate

If shooting interlaced footage that you do not want to render

Field de-interlaced, you can specify the field order to render here.
Order Remember to also set your project settings to the same field
order

Pixel
A ratio that defines the width of the rendered pixels. For most
Aspect
HD and 4K formats, 1.0 is the proper aspect ratio
Ratio

7. Click the Audio and Project tabs in turn to specify any changes you want to make
on those tabs. When you’re done with your customizations, click the OK button.

NOTE If you’re rendering 4444 and 4444 XQ files, the higher bitrates required
by those files may cause a delay between the render registering 100% finished
and the render dialog closing as VEGAS Pro finishes writing the file.

8. Specify a save location in the Folder field, give your new file a name, and click the
Render button.

Rendering Multichannel Audio Files

If you want to render a single audio file with multiple audio channels, you can render to one
of the following formats:
● WAV/WAV64 (for information about rendering 5.1 channel WAV/WAV64 files,
please see Rendering your 5.1 surround project (p. 912))
● AVI

● Material Exchange Format (MXF)

NOTE MXF files require a video stream.

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Render
Number of channels
Format

Always contains 4 audio channels.

You can use the CHANNELS drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Cus-
tom Template dialog to choose how many channels will be filled with
DV MXF audio. For example, if you choose 2 from the CHANNELS drop-down list,
the rendered file will contain 4 audio channels: two channels will contain

audio, and two channels will contain silence. For more information,
see Custom rendering templates (p. 1044)

Always contains 8 audio channels.

You can use the CHANNELS drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Cus-
IMX MXF tom Template dialog to choose how many channels will be filled with
audio. For example, if you choose 2 from the CHANNELS drop-down list,
the rendered file will contain 8 audio channels: two channels will contain
audio, and six channels will contain silence.

Can contain 2 or 4 audio channels.

You can use the CHANNELS drop-down list on the Audio tab of the Cus-
HD MXF tom Template dialog to choose how many channels will be rendered. For
example, if you choose 2 from the CHANNELS drop-down list, the
rendered file will contain only 2 audio channels.

NOTE WMV/WMA, AC-3, and ATRAC support multichannel surround formats; channel
mapping is not supported.

1. Create your project.

2. In the Mixing Console window, add a bus for each channel (or channel pair) you
want to include in your rendered file.
For example, if you wanted to create a six-channel .wav file, you could set up your
project with three or six busses. If you use three busses, the left and right chan-
nels of each bus will be saved to a separate channel. If you use six busses, you
can save the mono downmix from each bus as a separate channel.

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For more information, see Adding audio busses (p. 932)

NOTE If you're working with a 5.1 surround project, you can map the six chan-
nels from the Surround Master bus to six output channels.

3. Assign tracks to busses to map the audio in your project to the desired channel.

For more information, see Assigning tracks to busses (p. 936)

4. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS to display the Render As dialog.

5. Use the Output File controls in the Render As dialog to choose the location where
you want to use to save your file.

6. Select the ENABLE MULTICHANNEL RENDERING check box.

7. Click the CHANNELS button if you want to map the busses in your project to chan-
nels in the rendered file. If you don't specify a channel mapping, VEGAS Pro will
not render a multichannel file.

a. In the Channel Mapping dialog, select the checkbox for each bus you want
to include in the rendered file. Each stereo bus will be saved to two channels
in the rendered file. If you want to save a bus to a single channel, select the
(MONO DOWNMIX) checkbox for that bus.

b. If you want to change order of the busses in the channel mapping, select the
bus and click the MOVE UP or MOVE DOWN button.

c. Click OK to close the Channel Mapping dialog and return to the Render As
dialog.

TIP Channel mapping is also available when printing to tape from the
timeline, rendering to a new track, and exporting video to an XDCAM
disc.

8. Use the Output Format controls to choose the type of file you want to create.
The Output Format box displays the file types and formats you can use to render
your file. You can double-click headings (or click the arrow buttons) to expand or
collapse lists of available templates. Click a template to select it and use that
format for rendering, or select a template and click the CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATE
button to modify the template's settings.

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If you choose DEFAULT TEMPLATE when rendering to .wav, .w64, or .avi, the num-
ber of channels will match the number of channels specified in the Channel Map-
ping dialog.

NOTE If you choose a rendering template that specifies more channels than
you have set up in the Channel Mapping dialog, the additional channels will be
rendered as silence.

If you choose a template that specifies fewer channels than you have set up in the
Channel Mapping dialog, the setting from the template will be used. Additional
mapped channels will be ignored.

9. Select or clear the check boxes in the Render Options section as needed:
a. Select the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox if you want to save only
the portion of the project that is contained within the loop region. LOOP
PLAYBACK does not need to be selected for this option to work.

b. Select the STRETCH VIDEO TO FILL OUTPUT FRAME SIZE (DO NOT
LETTERBOX) checkbox when you are rendering to an output format with a
slightly different aspect ratio than your project settings. This will prevent
black bars from appearing on the top and bottom or the sides of the output.

c. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're

rendering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting
from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered file.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media
Properties setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use this set-
ting to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

10. Use the Metadata Options controls to whether information about your project is
saved with the rendered media file:

a. If the selected file type supports it, you can select the SAVE PROJECT
MARKERS IN MEDIA FILE checkbox to include markers, regions, and com-
mand markers in the rendered media file.

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For more information, see Inserting markers (p. 267) Inserting regions
(p. 269) and Inserting command markers (p. 273)

b. Select the SAVE PROJECT AS PATH REFERENCE IN RENDERED FILE check-

box if you want to save the path to your VEGAS Pro project in the rendered
file. Saving the project path allows you to easily return to the source project
if you use your rendered file in another project.

NOTE
● The project information in the rendered file is a reference to a pro-
ject file only. If you modify the project file after rendering, the pro-
ject data will no longer match the rendered file. To edit a project
using a path reference, the project file and all media must be avail-

able on your computer. For more information, see Project ref-

erences in rendered files (p. 109)
● The checkbox will be unavailable if you haven't saved your project
or if you're rendering using a third-party file-format plug-in.

11. Click the RENDER button. A dialog is displayed to show rendering progress.

12. When rendering is complete, click the OPEN button to play the file with its asso-
ciated player, or click OPEN FOLDER to open the folder where you saved the file.

Rendering MPEG Files

Use the MainConcept plug-in to render MPEG files. The plug-in includes templates that will
work well for most of your encoding needs, and you can create custom templates if you
have special encoding requirements.

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NOTE
● VEGAS Pro does not create Video CDs, but you can use the MPEG plug-in to
render files for your VCD-creation application. Consult the application's doc-
umentation to determine the file requirements before rendering.
● If you choose to save markers in your rendered MPEG-2 file, DVD Architect will
read those markers as chapter markers. Ensure the RENDER I-FRAMES AT
MARKERS checkbox is selected before rendering (in the Render As dialog,
choose MAINCONCEPT MPEG-2 from the TEMPLATE drop-down list, and then
click the CUSTOM button. In the Custom Template dialog, select the Video tab
and select the RENDER I-FRAMES AT MARKERS check box).

IMPORTANT MPEG video requires frame widths that are divisible by 16 and frame
heights that are divisible by 2. Noncompliant frame dimensions can cause unpre-
dictable results or system instability.

Using default MPEG templates

When you browse rendering templates in the Render As dialog, a description of the selec-

ted template's settings is displayed below the list of templates. For more information,
see Rendering projects (Render As) (p. 1022)

Creating custom MPEG templates

In the Render As dialog, choose MAINCONCEPT MPEG-1 or MAINCONCEPT MPEG-2 in the

Output Format box and click the CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATE button if you want to create your
own MPEG encoding templates.

For information about the active page in the Custom Template dialog, click the button.

IMPORTANT Custom templates have many available options, and consequently, a lot
of room for error. Verify your file requirements before creating a template. If you're
using third-party DVD-burning software, for example, refer to the application's doc-
umentation to determine the application's file requirements.

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Viewing MPEG-2 files on a computer

MPEG-2 files require an MPEG-2 decoder in order to view them in Windows Media Player
and other applications. Vegas does not endorse or support any 3rd-party MPEG-2
decoders.

Rendering Projects for Use in DVD Architect

If you have DVD Architect software, you can avoid unnecessary transcoding or recom-
pression by using VEGAS Pro to render your media files in the appropriate formats prior
adding them to your DVD Architect project.

NOTE Vegas AC-3 and MainConcept MPEG-2 encoders provide templates that will pro-
duce files that do not require recompression (unless the file size is too large to fit on a
DVD).

AC-3 audio (.ac3)

Sample Rate Bit Rate Channels

192 Kbps
48,000 Hz Stereo
(64 Kbps to 640 Kbps is supported)

448 Kbps
48,000 Hz 5.1 surround
(64 Kbps to 640 Kbps is supported)

PCM audio (.wav or .w64)

Sample Rate Bit Depth Channels Compression

48,000 Hz 16, 20, or 24 bit Stereo Uncompressed

96,000 Hz 16, 20, or 24 bit Stereo Uncompressed

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NTSC MPEG video (.m2p, .mp2, .mpg, .mpeg, .mpv)

If you’re using the MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder in VEGAS Pro software, use the DVD
ARCHITECT NTSC VIDEO STREAM or DVD ARCHITECT 24P NTSC VIDEO STREAM tem-
plate to render your video stream. You'll need to render your audio stream separately
according to the parameters listed in the AC-3 audio or PCM audio headings in this section.

If you're rendering with a different application, the following settings will produce a com-
pliant NTSC MPEG-2 video stream.

Frame Aspect Maximum Group of Pic- Max. Bit

Frame Rate (fps)
Size Ratio tures Rate

29.97

or
720x480 4:3 36 9.8 Mbps
23.976 + 2-3 pull-
down

29.97

or
704x480 4:3 36 9.8 Mbps
23.976 + 2-3 pull-
down

29.97

or
352x240 4:3 36 9.8 Mbps
23.976 + 2-3 pull-
down

29.97

or
352x480 4:3 36 9.8 Mbps
23.976 + 2-3 pull-
down

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Frame Aspect Maximum Group of Pic- Max. Bit

Frame Rate (fps)
Size Ratio tures Rate

29.97

or
720x480 16:9 36 9.8 Mbps
23.976 + 2-3 pull-
down

29.97

or
720x480 16:9 36 9.8 Mbps
23.976 + 2-3 pull-
down

NOTE The MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder in VEGAS Pro renders with the Low Delay
flag turned off. If you’re rendering with a different encoder, ensure Low Delay is turned
off.

PAL MPEG video (.m2p, .mp2, .mpg, .mpeg, .mpv)

If you’re using the MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder in VEGAS Pro software, use the DVD
ARCHITECT PAL VIDEO STREAM or DVD ARCHITECT PAL WIDESCREEN VIDEO STREAM
template to render your video stream. You'll need to render your audio stream separately
according to the parameters listed in the AC-3 audio or PCM audio headings in this section.

If you're rendering with a different application, the following settings will produce a com-
pliant PAL MPEG-2 video stream.

Frame Frame Aspect Maximum Group of Pic- Max. Bit

Size Rate Ratio tures Rate

704x576 25 fps 4:3 30 9.8 Mbps

352x576 25 fps 4:3 30 9.8 Mbps

352x288 25 fps 4:3 30 9.8 Mbps

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Frame Frame Aspect Maximum Group of Pic- Max. Bit

Size Rate Ratio tures Rate

704x480 25 fps 16:9 30 9.8 Mbps

NOTE The MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder in VEGAS Pro renders with the Low Delay
flag turned off. If you’re rendering with a different encoder, ensure Low Delay is turned
off.

Custom rendering templates

If the selected file type supports it, the Render As dialog allows you to create custom tem-
plates for saving files.

NOTE
● VEGAS Pro templates for rendering multichannel audio in .wav/.wav64, .avi,
and .mxf formats may be visible in other Vegas applications that do not sup-
port multichannel audio. Using these templates in other applications will not
produce the desired result and should be avoided.
● If you modify a template in the Custom Template dialog without saving it with a
new name, the settings will be saved to disk as "Untitled."

Creating or editing a template

1. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS.

2. Select a template in the Output Format box and click the CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATE
button to open the Custom Template dialog.

3. Choose a template from the TEMPLATE drop-down list, or enter a new name in
the edit box.

4. Built-in presets cannot be edited.

5. When determining bit rates, 1K=1024.

6. Use the Custom Template dialog to set the template's properties.

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NOTE For information about specific controls in each file type's Custom Tem-
plate dialog, click the help ? button.

7. Click the SAVE TEMPLATE button .

8. Click OK to return to the Save As or Render As dialog.

Deleting a template

1. From the File menu, choose RENDER AS.

2. Select a template in the Output Format box and click the CUSTOMIZE TEMPLATE
button to open the Custom Template dialog.

3. Choose a template from the TEMPLATE drop-down list.

4. Click the DELETE TEMPLATE button .

NOTE Built-in presets cannot be deleted.

5. Click OK to return to the Save As or Render As dialog.

Copying rendering templates between computers or user

accounts

You can make your customized rendering templates available on another computer or user
account by copying .sft2 files to the appropriate location in the new account or computer.

Rendering templates are stored in

C:\USERS\<USERNAME>\APPDATA\ROAMING\VEGAS\RENDER TEMPLATES\<PLUG-IN
NAME>.

NOTE The AppData folder is not visible unless the SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND
FOLDERS radio button is selected on the View tab of the Windows Folder Options con-
trol panel.

TIP You can find a plug-in's name by clicking the ABOUT button in the Render As dialog.

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To make a template available on another computer or user account, copy the .sft2 file to
the same location in another account.

For example, to make JSmith's custom wave template available for the AJones user
account, copy the appropriate .sft2 file from this folder:

C:\Users\JSmith\AppData\Roaming\Vegas\Render Templates\wave\

to this folder:

C:\Users\AJones\AppData\Roaming\Vegas\Render Templates\wave\

TIP If you're copying templates from an older Vegas application, templates are saved
as .sft files in the following folder: C:\DOCUMENTS AND
SETTINGS\<USERNAME>\APPLICATION DATA\VEGAS\FILE TEMPLATES\<PLUG-IN
NAME>\<PLUG-IN GUID>.

Project tab

Some file formats include a Project tab in the Custom Template dialog.

Item Description

Choose a rendering quality if you want to override the FULL-

Video ren-
RESOLUTION RENDERING QUALITY setting in the Project Prop-
dering quality
erties dialog.

Choose the stereoscopic 3D mode you want to use for the tem-
Stereoscopic
3D mode plate. For more information, see Rendering a stereoscopic 3D
project (p. 459)

Select the SWAP LEFT/RIGHT checkbox if you need to switch the

Swap
Left/Right left- and right-eye pictures. For more information, see Ren-
dering a stereoscopic 3D project (p. 459)

Drag the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider if you experience

Crosstalk can-
cellation image bleed-through. For more information, see Rendering a
stereoscopic 3D project (p. 459)

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Item Description

COLOR Choose a color space to use for the rendering template. For
SPACE more information, see Specifying the color space in a custom ren-
dering template (p. 872)

Burning discs
You can create several types of discs in VEGAS® Pro to archive and distribute your project:
● Track-at-once (TAO) CDs can be burned in multiple sessions over a period of
time. Before you can use a TAO disc in an audio CD player, however, you must
close the session. TAO CDs are convenient for sharing your projects and testing
your mix, but are generally not acceptable as masters for duplication.
● Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CDs are burned in a single session. Use DAO
burning when creating a master disc for replication.
● DVDs can be played in a DVD player or on a computer with a DVD drive.

Track-at-once (TAO) CD burning

From the Tools menu, choose BURN DISC, and choose TRACK-AT-ONCE AUDIO CD from
the submenu to save your project as a track on an audio CD. Before you can use a TAO disc
in an audio CD player, however, you must close the session.

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NOTE
● Track-at-once CDs contain two-second pauses between tracks. If you want to
burn a CD with no pause time, burn a disc-at-once CD. For more information,
see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CD Burning (p. 1049)
● The entire project is written to a CD track. If your project has events on muted
tracks that extend beyond the end of the audible material, the muted events
burn as silence at the end of your CD track. To burn only a portion of a project,
create a loop region and select the BURN LOOP REGION ONLY check box.

1. From the Tools menu, choose BURN DISC, and choose TRACK-AT-ONCE AUDIO
CD from the submenu. The Burn Track-at-Once Audio CD dialog displays the
length of the current file and the amount of time remaining on the disc in your CD
recorder.

2. Choose a setting from the ACTION drop-down list:

Item Description

Begins recording audio to your CD when you click the START but-
Burn
ton. You will need to close the disc before it can be played in an
audio
audio CD player.

Test,
Performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to
then
the CD recorder without encountering buffer underruns. Record-
burn
ing begins after the test if it is successful.
audio

Performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to

Test
the CD without encountering buffer underruns. No audio is recor-
only
ded to the CD.

Closes your disc without adding any audio when you click the
Close
START button. Closing a disc allows your files to be played on an
disc
audio CD player.

Erase
If you're using a rewritable CD, the disc will be erased when you
RW
click the START button.
disc

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3. Select your burning options:

Item Description

BUFFER Select this checkbox if your CD recorder supports buffer

UNDERRUN underrun protection. Buffer underrun protection allows a
PROTECTION CD recorder to stop and resume burning.

Erase RW disc If you're using a rewritable CD, select this checkbox to

before burning erase the CD before you begin burning.

Close disc Select this checkbox to close the CD after burning. Clos-
when done ing a disc allows your files to be played on an audio CD
burning player.

Eject disc Select this checkbox to eject the CD automatically when

when done burning has completed.

Burn selection Select this checkbox to burn only the audio within the
only loop region.

4. From the DRIVE drop-down list, choose the CD drive that you want to use to burn
your CD.

5. From the SPEED drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want to burn.
MAX will use your drive's fastest possible speed; decrease the setting if you have
difficulty burning.

6. Click the START button.

IMPORTANT Clicking the CANCEL button after the disc-writing process has
begun will render your disc unusable (though it will still make a fine coaster for
your favorite beverage).

Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book) CD Burning

From the Tools menu, choose BURN DISC, and choose DISC-AT-ONCE AUDIO CD from the
submenu to burn a disc-at-once CD using the current CD layout.

Use DAO CDs when you need to create a master disc for mass replication.

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TIP
Right-click the ruler and choose AUDIO CD TIME from the shortcut menu to help you
arrange your project. The ruler will display hh:mm:ss:ff (hours:minutes:second-
s:frames), and the Time Display window will display tt+mm:ss:ff (track number +/-
minutes:seconds:frames). Audio CD time uses a frame rate of 75 fps.

If your first track region begins before 00:00:02:00, a timeline offset is automatically
added so the first track begins at exactly two seconds.

From the Options menu, choose QUANTIZE TO FRAMES to turn off frame quantization

before creating a CD layout. For more information, see Quantize to frames (p. 293)

Creating a new CD layout

1. From the File menu, choose NEW to create a new project.

2. From the File menu, choose IMPORT to add the files that you want to use to the
Project Media list.

3. Use the Project Media window to sort your media:

1. Click the VIEWS button and choose DETAILED from the menu.

2. Enter track numbers in the COMMENT field to assign a track order.

3. Click the COMMENT column header to sort the comments in ascending

order.

4. In the Project Media window, select your tracks, right-click the selection,
and choose ADD AS CD TRACK from the shortcut menu.
When you add CD tracks from the Project Media window, tracks are inserted
starting at the cursor position, and the necessary silence is added between
tracks. Each track is marked on the CD layout bar and is assigned a name
based on the media file name.
If necessary, you can edit the CD track list information by dragging the track
and index markers or by using the AUDIO CD TRACK LIST setting in the Edit
Details window.

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NOTE CD track numbering is based on the FIRST TRACK NUMBER ON DISC

setting on the Audio CD tab in the Project Properties dialog. For more
information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

Adding CD layout regions and markers to an existing VEGAS

Pro project

1. Arrange your audio files on the timeline.

2. Position the cursor and choose TIME from the Insert menu to insert two seconds
before each track.

NOTE If you want to create a live CD with no silence between tracks, insert
silence only before the first track.

3. On the timeline, select the length of the track and choose AUDIO CD TRACK
REGION from the Insert menu (or press N) to add track regions. A Red Book CD
can contain up to 99 tracks.

NOTE CD track numbering is based on the FIRST TRACK NUMBER ON DISC

setting on the Audio CD tab in the Project Properties dialog. For more
information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

TIP
Double-click a region tag to select the duration of the track.

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4. If you want to add index markers, position the cursor and choose AUDIO CD
TRACK INDEX from the Insert menu (or press Shift+N).
You can use indices to subdivide a track. For example, a track could contain a
orchestral composition, and index markers could allow navigation to each of the
movements. Each track on a Red Book CD can contain up to 99 index markers.

Creating tracks automatically using events on the timeline

From the Tools menu, choose LAY OUT AUDIO CD FROM EVENTS to automatically create a
CD layout for a disc-at-once audio CD. The CD layout bar is displayed and track regions
are added.

NOTE If multiple events are touching, they will be treated as a single track.

Inserting hidden or bonus tracks

Adding a hidden track at the beginning of a CD

If your CD recorder supports it, you can add a hidden track by adding a track in the space
before Track 1. When the CD is inserted in an audio CD player, it will automatically start at
Track 1, but the user can find the hidden track by rewinding past the beginning of the first
track.

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NOTE Most CD recorders require that the space before Track 1 be exactly two
seconds, which eliminates the possibility of hiding tracks at the beginning of a CD.
Check your CD recorder's documentation for specific information about your drive.

Adding a bonus track at the end of a CD

You can hide a track at the end of a CD by adding silence at the end of the last track and
adding the new track after the silence. Drag the final region tag to the new end of the CD.

Because both events are marked by a single CD layout entry, they will be treated as one
track by an audio CD player.

Viewing and editing the audio CD track list

The track list is the chronological reference that the CD-R device uses when writing a CD.
This list contains information about tracks and indices. A track list is automatically gen-
erated when you add tracks to your CD project using any of the methods described in this
topic.

Viewing the audio CD track list

1. Choose VIEW | WINDOW | EDIT DETAILS to display the Edit Details window.

2. From the SHOW drop-down list, choose AUDIO CD TRACK LIST.

The list displays information for each of the tracks and indices in your CD layout.

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Item Description

Track Displays the number of the track as it will appear on the CD.

Displays the index value within the track. For example, if a track
Index had two indices, they would appear as 2 and 3 (the start of the
track is always Index 1).

Position Displays the timeline position of the beginning of the track.

End Displays the timeline position of the end of the track.

Displays the length of the track (including the two-second

Length
pause between tracks).

Enter a name that will be used to identify the track in the

Name
timeline.

Select the checkbox to add a flag to the Q subcode to prevent

digital copying of your CD.
Prot
In order to use copy protection, the CD player must support the
copy-protection flag.

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Item Description

Select the checkbox to add a pre-emphasis flag to the Q sub-

code.
Pre-emphasis is a simple noise-reduction process that is imple-
mented by a CD player. Emphasis involves boosting high fre-
quencies during CD writing and cutting those frequencies
during playback. The emphasis process reduces high-fre-
Emph quency noise without disrupting the natural frequency of the
source material.
VEGAS Pro does not impart the pre-emphasis boost on a track;
it can only set the flag. In order for pre-emphasis to occur, the
CD recorder and player must support the flag. Check your CD
drive documentation to determine whether your drive supports
pre-emphasis flags.

Enter the (International Standard Recording Code) that will be

ISRC
used to identify your disc.

Editing the list

Double-click an entry in the list to edit it. As you edit the fields, the track and indices in the
timeline are updated.

Copying the list

Click the box in the top-left corner of the Edit Details window to select all rows in the list,
and press Ctrl+C to copy them to the clipboard. You can then paste the list into a doc-
ument to create a PQ sheet for a CD replicator.

Importing a CD Architect version 4 project

You can also work with your existing CD Architect (.cdp) version 4 projects. For more
information about opening a CD Architect project, see Opening a project or media file (p.
92)

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Burning your disc

After arranging your media on the timeline and adding CD layout regions and markers,
you're ready to burn.

1. From the Tools menu, choose BURN DISC, and choose DISC-AT-ONCE AUDIO CD
from the submenu. The Burn Disc-at-Once Audio CD dialog is displayed.

2. From the DRIVE drop-down list, choose the CD drive that you want to use to burn
your CD.

3. From the SPEED drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want to burn.
MAX will use your drive's fastest possible speed; decrease the setting to prevent
the possibility of buffer underruns.

4. Select the BUFFER UNDERRUN PROTECTION checkbox if your CD recorder sup-

ports buffer underrun protection. Buffer underrun protection allows a CD recorder
to stop and resume burning.

IMPORTANT Buffer underrun protection can create a disc that can be played
in CD players but may contain a bit error where burning stopped and restarted.
Consider clearing this checkbox when creating a premaster disc.

5. Choose a radio button in the BURN MODE box:

Item Description

Burn
Begins recording audio to your CD immediately.
CDs

Test
Performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to
first,
the CD recorder without encountering buffer underruns. No audio
then
is recorded to the CD during the test, and recording begins after
burn
the test if it is successful.
CDs

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Item Description

Test
only Performs a test to determine whether your files can be written to
(do not the CD recorder without encountering buffer underruns. No audio
burn is recorded to the CD.
CDs)

6. Select the RENDER TEMPORARY IMAGE BEFORE BURNING checkbox if you want
to render your CD project to a temporary file before recording. Prerendering can
prevent buffer underruns if you have a complex project that cannot be rendered
and burned in real time.

NOTE The rendered temporary file will remain until you modify your project or
exit the application. If an image file exists when you open the Burn Disc-at-
Once Audio CD dialog, the checkbox is displayed as USE EXISTING
RENDERED TEMPORARY IMAGE.

7. Select the AUTOMATICALLY ERASE REWRITABLE DISCS checkbox if you're burn-

ing to rewritable media and want to erase the disc before burning.

8. Select the EJECT WHEN DONE checkbox if you want to eject the CD automatically
when burning has completed.

9. Click OK to start burning.

Burning a DVD from the timeline

From the Tools menu, choose BURN DISC, and then choose DVD from the submenu to
render your project and burn it to a DVD.

The rendered project can be played in a DVD player or on any computer with a DVD drive.

1. From the Tools menu, choose BURN DISC, and then choose DVD from the sub-
menu to display the Burn DVD dialog.

2. Choose a setting from the VIDEO FORMAT drop-down list to specify the para-
meters that should be used for rendering your video stream.

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The AUDIO FORMAT box displays the parameters that should be used for ren-
dering your audio stream.

3. Select recording options for your DVD burner:

a. Choose a drive from the BURN DRIVE drop-down list to specify the drive
you want to use.

b. From the BURN SPEED drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want
to record. MAX will record using the fastest speed possible with your drive;
decrease the speed if you have difficulty recording.

c. Select the EJECT WHEN DONE checkbox if you want to eject the disc auto-
matically when burning has completed.

4. Click OK to start rendering your image file and burning your disc.

Printing video to tape

VEGAS® Pro provides two methods for printing your final movie to tape: you can print to
tape directly from the VEGAS Pro timeline, or you can use Vegas Video capture to print an
existing rendered file to DV tape.

NOTE
This feature is no longer supported and may be removed from the application in a
future version.

To use this feature, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES to open the dialog.

In the DEPRECATED FEATURES tab, select the checkbox.

Printing video to tape from the timeline

From the Tools menu, choose PRINT VIDEO TO TAPE to print your project to a camera or
deck.

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IMPORTANT
Important:
● Prerendered files can require significant drive space. On the Video tab of the
Project Properties dialog, select a PRERENDERED FILES FOLDER on an a/v-
capable drive with ample free space: DV requires approximately 228 MB per
minute.
● HDMI print to tape is supported on the Blackmagic Design DeckLink HD
Extreme/Intensity Pro/HD Extreme 3D, AJA Io 4K and AJA KONA LHi cards.
Please note that AJA XENA cards are now branded as KONA cards:
http://www.aja.com/products/kona/transition.php.

Printing to a DV device

1. If you want to print only a portion of your project, create a time selection that
includes the section of your project.

2. From the Tools menu, choose PRINT VIDEO TO TAPE. The Device Setup dialog is
displayed.

3. Use the Device Setup dialog to configure your camera or deck:

a. From the DEVICE TYPE drop-down list, choose OHCI-COMPLIANT IEEE

1394/DV.

b. From the VIDEO drop-down list, choose the setting that matches your des-
tination format.

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NOTE
You'll need to choose a rendering template that inserts fields to create a
standard DV file if your project properties are set to 24p or if you selec-
ted the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P DV check-
box on the General tab of the Preferences dialog. Use the NTSC DV 24P
(INSERTING 2-3-3-2 PULLDOWN) template if you intend to bring the file

back into the timeline as source material. For more information, see
General Tab (p. 1109)
If you cleared the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P
DV checkbox before adding your media and your project properties are
not set to 24p, your 24p video is read as 29.97 fps interlaced video (60i),
so you can choose whichever NTSC DV or PAL DV template suits your
project requirements.

c. From the AUDIO drop-down list, choose the setting that matches your des-
tination format.

d. If necessary, drag the RECORD ENGAGE DELAY control to specify the num-
ber of frames it takes your camera or deck to switch from Record Pause to
Record mode. If you're missing frames from the beginning of your file after
printing to tape, increase the setting. If you see duplicated frames at the
beginning of your video, decrease the setting.

e. Click the NEXT button. The Render Settings dialog is displayed.

4. Use the Render Settings dialog to choose the format you want to use to print your
video to tape.

a. Select the ENABLE MULTICHANNEL MAPPING checkbox if you're working

with multichannel source files and need to specify which channels to use in
the stereo file when printing to tape. Click the CHANNELS button to choose
which channels you want to render.
For example, if your video source contained 6-channel audio, you could
route each channel's track to a separate bus. Then, when printing to tape,
you could click the CHANNELS button and choose which bus should be prin-
ted to tape.

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For more information, see Rendering Multichannel Audio Files (p. 1035)

NOTE Multichannel audio is not supported when printing toa DV device.

b. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're

rendering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting
from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered file.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media
Properties setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use this set-
ting to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

c. Select the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox if you want to print only
the portion of your project that you selected in step 1.
The checkbox is available only if you've created a time selection in the
timeline.

d. Select the PRERENDER AUDIO TO PROXY FILE checkbox if you want to prer-
ender the audio portion of your project before printing to tape.
The PRERENDERED FILES FOLDER box displays the path to the folder
where prerendered files are saved. Video files are saved to this folder so
that you don't need to rerender the project every time you view it.
If you want to change the location of the folder, click the BROWSE button
and choose a new location. Changing the setting here will update the setting
on the Video tab of the Project Properties dialog.

e. Click NEXT. The Leader and Trailer dialog is displayed.

5. Use the Leader and Trailer dialog to set up the data that will be printed before and
after your project:

a. Select the ADD TEST PATTERN LEADER checkbox if you want to print a test
pattern before your video.

b. From the TEST PATTERN STYLE drop-down list, choose a test pattern type
and video format.

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c. Type a value in the DURATION box to determine the length of the test pat-
tern.

d. Select the PLAY 1 KHZ TONE WITH TEST PATTERN checkbox to add an
audio test tone that will play along with the test pattern.

e. Select the ADD BLACK LEADER checkbox and type a value in the DURATION
box if you want to print black frames before your video.

f. Select the ADD BLACK TRAILER checkbox and type a value in the
DURATION box if you want to print black frames after your video.

g. Click NEXT. The Device Control dialog is displayed.

6. Use the Device Control dialog to indicate whether VEGAS Pro will have control of
your DV recorder and how you want to print to tape:

Setting Description

Select this radio button if the application is unable to obtain

device control of your deck.
Manual
You will need to cue the tape and press the Record button on
your deck before recording.

Select this radio button if the application can perform basic

device control of your deck.
You will need to cue the tape to the location where you want
Crash to begin printing. The device's timecode location is displayed
Recording in the DEVICE TIMECODE box.
When you click FINISH, recording will begin automatically
and will stop after reaching the end of the selection or pro-
ject.

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Setting Description

Select this radio button if your deck supports Auto Edit/Insert

Edit mode.

IMPORTANT When using Auto Edit mode, use a striped

tape to ensure continuous timecode over the portion of
the tape where you plan to record.

a. Select the PREVIEW ONLY checkbox if you want to pre-

view your print-to-tape operation without engaging the
deck's record head.
Use PREVIEW ONLY mode to double-check and adjust
your START PRINTING AT timecode setting as needed.

b. The START PRINTING AT box displays the current

device timecode location. You can cue the tape or type
Auto Edit a value to indicate where you want to begin recording.
The END AT box displays the frame where recording
will end (much like punch-in audio recording).

c. When you click NEXT, the Select Channels page is dis-

played.

d. On the Select Channels page, select a radio button to

choose which channels you want to print to tape:
● WRITE ALL RENDERED CHANNELS: select this
radio button to print video and all audio channels
to tape
● WRITE ONLY SELECTED CHANNELS: select this
radio button if you want to choose which chan-
nels you want to print to tape. Select the check-
box for each channel you want to print.

7. Click FINISH. If you have not already prerendered, portions of your project that
cannot be rendered and printed to tape in real time will be selectively prer-

endered. For more information, see Selectively prerender video (p. 208)

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● If you're using MANUAL mode, a dialog will be displayed after rendering is fin-
ished. You can specify a delay time in the DELAY PLAYBACK COUNTDOWN
TIMER box and select the BEEP EACH SECOND DURING COUNTDOWN
checkbox if you want to count down before sending video to your device.
● If you're using CRASH RECORDING mode, your DV recorder will start and
begin recording after rendering is finished.
● If you're using AUTO EDIT mode, recording will begin and end automatically
at the specified timecode positions.

Printing to a tape deck connected to an SDI card

1. If you want to print only a portion of your project, create a time selection that
includes the section of your project.

2. From the Tools menu, choose PRINT VIDEO TO TAPE. The Device Setup dialog is
displayed.

3. Use the Device Setup dialog to configure your camera or deck:

a. From the DEVICE TYPE drop-down list, choose AJA VIDEO DEVICE or
BLACKMAGIC DESIGN DECKLINK.

b. From the OUTPUT drop-down list, choose SDI or HDMI (if your devices sup-
ports HDMI output).

c. From the VIDEO drop-down list, choose the setting that matches your des-
tination format.

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NOTE
You'll need to choose a rendering template that inserts fields to create a
standard interlaced file if your project properties are set to 24p or if you
selected the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P DV

checkbox on the General tab of the Preferences dialog. For more

information, see General Tab (p. 1109)
If you cleared the ALLOW PULLDOWN REMOVAL WHEN OPENING 24P
DV checkbox before adding your media and your project properties are
not set to 24p, your 24p video is read as 29.97 fps interlaced video (60i),
so you can choose whichever template suits your project requirements.

d. From the AUDIO drop-down list, choose the setting that matches your des-
tination format.

e. Select the USE PROGRESSIVE SEGMENTED FRAME (PSF) VIDEO

FORMATS checkbox if your project properties are set to a progressive-scan
format and you want to preview on a device that stores and transfers pro-
gressive-scan frames by dividing fields (AJA SDI cards only).

f. Select the USE 10-BIT ENCODING checkbox if you want to print 10-bit
source material for increased color resolution. Source material with gradi-
ents in the background can benefit from 10-bit encoding.
When you use 10-bit video in your project, choose 32-BIT FLOATING POINT
(VIDEO LEVELS) from the PIXEL FORMAT setting on the Video tab of the Pro-

ject Properties dialog. For more information, see Setting project prop-
erties (p. 72)

g. If necessary, use the RECORD ENGAGE DELAY control to specify the num-
ber of frames it takes your camera or deck to switch from Record Pause to
Record mode. If you're missing frames from the beginning of your file after
printing to tape, increase the setting. If you see duplicated frames at the
beginning of your video, decrease the setting.

h. Choose a setting from the GENLOCK drop-down list if you want to syn-
chronize your video output with a reference signal (AJA SDI cards only).

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Setting Description

Synchronizes to the SDI input when SDI is selected in the

Video In OUTPUT drop-down list or synchronizes to the HDMI out-
put when HDMI is selected in the OUTPUT drop-down list.

Ref In Synchronizes to an external reference input signal.

Free Run Ignores all input signals and uses internal timing.

i. Click the NEXT button. The Render Settings dialog is displayed.

4. Use the Render Settings dialog to choose the format you want to use to print your
video to tape.

a. Select the ENABLE MULTICHANNEL MAPPING checkbox if you want to

render a file with multiple audio channels.
For more information about rendering multichannel audio and setting up mul-
tichannel mapping, see Rendering Multichannel Audio Files (p. 1035)

b. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're

rendering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting
from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered file.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media
Properties setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use this set-
ting to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

c. Select the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox if you want to print only
the portion of your project that you selected in step 1.
The checkbox is available only if you've created a time selection in the
timeline.

d. Select the PRERENDER AUDIO TO PROXY FILE checkbox if you want to prer-
ender the audio portion of your project before printing to tape.
The PRERENDERED FILES FOLDER box displays the path to the folder
where prerendered files are saved. video files are saved to this folder so
that you don't need to rerender the project every time you view it.

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If you want to change the location of the folder, click the BROWSE button
and choose a new location. Changing the setting here will update the setting
on the Video tab of the Project Properties dialog.

e. Click NEXT. The Leader and Trailer dialog is displayed.

5. Use the Leader and Trailer dialog to set up the data that will be printed before and
after your project:

a. Select the ADD TEST PATTERN LEADER checkbox if you want to print a test
pattern before your video.

b. From the TEST PATTERN STYLE drop-down list, choose a test pattern type
and video format.

c. Type a value in the DURATION box to determine the length of the test pat-
tern.

d. Select the PLAY 1 KHZ TONE WITH TEST PATTERN checkbox to add an
audio test tone that will play along with the test pattern.

e. Select the ADD BLACK LEADER checkbox and type a value in the
DURATION box if you want to print black frames before your video.

f. Select the ADD BLACK TRAILER checkbox and type a value in the
DURATION box if you want to print black frames after your video.

g. Click NEXT. The Device Control dialog is displayed.

6. Use the Device Control dialog to indicate whether VEGAS Pro will have control of
your deck:

Setting Description

Select this radio button if the application is unable to obtain

device control of your deck.
Manual
You will need to cue the tape and press the Record button on
your deck before recording.

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Setting Description

Select this radio button if the application can perform basic

device control of your deck.
You will need to cue the tape to the location where you want
Crash to begin printing. The device's timecode location is displayed
Recording in the DEVICE TIMECODE box.
When you click FINISH, recording will begin automatically
and will stop after reaching the end of the selection or pro-
ject.

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Setting Description

Select this radio button if your deck supports Auto Edit/Insert

Edit mode.

IMPORTANT When using Auto Edit mode, use a striped

tape to ensure continuous timecode over the portion of
the tape where you plan to record.

a. Select the PREVIEW ONLY checkbox if you want to pre-

view your print-to-tape operation without engaging the
deck's record head.
Use PREVIEW ONLY mode to double-check and adjust
your START PRINTING AT timecode setting as needed.

b. The START PRINTING AT box displays the current

device timecode location. You can cue the tape or type
Auto Edit a value to indicate where you want to begin recording.
The END AT box displays the frame where recording
will end (much like punch-in audio recording).

c. When you click NEXT, the Select Channels page is dis-

played.

d. On the Select Channels page, select a radio button to

choose which channels you want to print to tape:
● WRITE ALL RENDERED CHANNELS: select this
radio button to print video and all audio channels
to tape
● WRITE ONLY SELECTED CHANNELS: select this
radio button if you want to choose which chan-
nels you want to print to tape. Select the check-
box for each channel you want to print.

7. Click FINISH. If you have not already prerendered, portions of your project that
cannot be rendered and printed to tape in real time will be selectively prer-

endered. For more information, see Selectively prerender video (p. 208)

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● If you're using MANUAL mode, a dialog will be displayed after rendering is fin-
ished. You can enter a delay time in the DELAY box and select the BEEP
checkbox if you want to count down before sending video to your deck.
● If you're using CRASH RECORDING or AUTO EDIT mode, your deck will
begin recording after rendering is finished.
● If you're using AUTO EDIT mode, recording will begin and end automatically
at the specified timecode positions.

Printing video to HDV tape

From the Tools menu, choose PRINT VIDEO TO HDV TAPE to print your project to an HDV
camera or deck.

Printing to tape from the timeline

Use this procedure when you're creating an HDV project on the timeline and need to
render a MPEG2 transport stream and print it to HDV tape.

1. Load your HDV project.

2. If you want to print only a portion of your project, create a time selection that
includes the section of your project.

3. From the Tools menu, choose PRINT VIDEO TO HDV TAPE. The HDV Print to Tape
- Device page is displayed.

4. Choose your HDV camera or deck from the DEVICE drop-down list.

5. Click NEXT. The HDV Print to Tape - Select Format/File page is displayed.

6. Choose render settings:

a. Select the RENDER FORMAT radio button.

b. In the FILE PATH box, type the path to the file you want to render, or click
the BROWSE button to browse to the folder you want to use and then type a
file name.

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c. From the TEMPLATE drop-down list, choose the setting that matches your
destination format. This list will include only formats that are supported by
the selected device.
Information about the selected rendering template is displayed in the
DESCRIPTION box.

d. Select the RENDER LOOP REGION ONLY checkbox if you want to print only
the portion of your project that you selected in step 2.
The checkbox is available only if you've created a time selection in the
timeline.

e. Select the DELETE FILE AFTER PRINT checkbox if you want to delete the
rendered file after the print-to-tape operation is finished.

f. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're

rendering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting
from the Project Properties dialog for your rendered file.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media
Properties setting, but the project itself is unrotated—you can use this set-
ting to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

g. Click NEXT. The HDV Print to Tape - Device Control page is displayed.

7. Use the Device Control dialog to indicate whether VEGAS Pro will have control of
your HDV recorder and how you want to print to tape:
● Select MANUAL if your HDV device is not OHCI-compliant or if the applic-
ation is unable to obtain device control of your HDV recorder. You will need
to cue the tape and press the Record button on your HDV recorder before
recording.
● Select CRASH RECORDING if you are using an OHCI-compliant IEEE-1394
HDV device and the application is able to obtain device control of your HDV
recorder.
You will need to cue the tape to the location where you want to begin print-
ing. The device's timecode location is displayed in the DEVICE TIMECODE
box.

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When you click FINISH, recording will begin automatically and will stop after
reaching the end of the selection or project.

8. Click FINISH. Your project will be rendered to the file you specified in step 6.
● If you're using MANUAL mode, a dialog will be displayed after rendering is fin-
ished. You can specify a delay time in the DELAY PLAYBACK COUNTDOWN
TIMER box and select the BEEP EACH SECOND DURING COUNTDOWN
checkbox if you want to count down before sending video to your device.
● If you're using CRASH RECORDING mode, your HDV recorder will start and
begin recording after rendering is finished.

Printing a rendered file

Use this procedure when you have a rendered MPEG 2 transport stream that you want to
print to HDV tape.

IMPORTANT If you are printing a rendered file to HDV tape, the file must precisely con-
form to the target HDV device and file type requirements, or the print-to-tape operation
will fail. Rendering using the provided HDV MPEG-2 render templates—unmodified in
any way—is required to successfully print to HDV tape.

1. Load your HDV project.

2. If you want to print only a portion of your project, create a time selection that
includes the section of your project.

3. From the Tools menu, choose PRINT VIDEO TO HDV TAPE. The HDV Print to Tape
- Device page is displayed.

4. Choose your HDV camera or deck from the DEVICE drop-down list.

5. Click NEXT. The HDV Print to Tape - Select Format/File page is displayed.

6. Choose the file you want to print:

a. Select the USE AN EXISTING FILE radio button.

b. In the FILE PATH box, type the path to the file you want to print, or click the
BROWSE button to choose the file you want to print.

7. Click NEXT. The HDV Print to Tape - Device Control page is displayed.

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8. Use the Device Control dialog to indicate whether VEGAS Pro will have control of
your HDV recorder and how you want to print to tape:
● Select MANUAL if your HDV device is not OHCI-compliant or if the applic-
ation is unable to obtain device control of your HDV recorder. You will need
to cue the tape and press the Record button on your HDV recorder before
recording.
● Select CRASH RECORDING if you are using an OHCI-compliant IEEE-1394
HDV device and the application is able to obtain device control of your HDV
recorder.
You will need to cue the tape to the location where you want to begin print-
ing. The device's timecode location is displayed in the DEVICE TIMECODE
box.
When you click FINISH, recording will begin automatically and will stop after
reaching the end of the selection or project.

9. Click FINISH.
● If you're using MANUAL mode, a dialog will be displayed before printing
begins. You can specify a delay time in the DELAY PLAYBACK COUNTDOWN
TIMER box and select the BEEP EACH SECOND DURING COUNTDOWN
checkbox if you want to count down before sending video to your device.
● If you're using CRASH RECORDING mode, your HDV recorder will start and
begin recording after you click the FINISH button.

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Automation and Scripting

Using automation
Automation allows you to control audio and video levels, panning, and effect parameters
over time. You can create fades, apply stereo panning, and add effects with parameters
that change throughout your project.

Automation is represented on the VEGAS® Pro timeline as an envelope or set of keyframes.

You can create automation by adding envelopes or keyframes to your tracks (including bus
tracks), or you can record automation parameters by adjusting controls in the VEGAS Pro
interface (or on a control surface) during playback. For more information about using a con-
trol surface, see Using a control surface (p. 465)

IMPORTANT
Gain, level, and panning controls can adjust automation (dynamic) settings, or they can
function as trim (nonautomated) controls.

The trim setting is added to the automation settings so your envelope or keyframe val-
ues are preserved, but with an offset applied. For example, setting an audio track's trim
control to -3 dB has the same effect as decreasing every envelope point by 3 dB.

If your automation is not behaving as expected, you may have applied a trim value that
is offsetting your automation settings.

When a control is set to adjust trim levels, its handle is displayed as a . When a con-

trol is set to adjust automation levels, it is displayed as a .

Audio track automation

With audio track automation, you can create fades, apply stereo panning, and add effects
with parameters or send levels that change over time.

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Track automation will always affect all events on the track. This means that any event
envelopes will be calculated after the track automation.

To adjust track automation using the controls in the track header, select the AUTOMATION

SETTINGS button . When AUTOMATION SETTINGS is not selected, the controls adjust
static (trim) levels.

TIP Choose a fade type from the AUDIO DEFAULT drop-down list on the Editing tab of
the Preferences dialog to set the default fade type that will be used when you add
volume and panning automation envelopes. This setting is used only when you create
new envelopes—when you add a point to an existing envelope, the new point always
uses the same fade type as the preceding envelope point. Also, this setting is not used

for event envelopes. For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

Applying mute automation

1. Select an audio track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the track list
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

3. From the submenu, choose MUTE. A check mark is displayed next to the com-
mand, and an envelope is added to the timeline.
Mute automation is either on or off with no fade between the on and off states. If
you want to use fades, apply volume automation.

4. You can adjust the automation by editing the envelope in the timeline or by click-

ing the MUTE AUTOMATION button in the track header. For more inform-
ation, see Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)
The button behaves differently depending on the track automation recording

mode. For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe
automation (p. 1096)
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the button mutes the entire
track.

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● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
READ, the button changes state to reflect the envelope setting during play-
back but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track has a mute envelope and the track automation mode is set to
TOUCH or LATCH, the button edits the envelope setting at the cursor pos-
ition.

NOTE
When you apply mute automation to a track, it's possible to have a track that is muted

and soloed simultaneously if you use the MUTE and SOLO buttons in the track
header. The mute state overrides the solo state:
● If a track's SOLO button is selected, the track is included in the solo group, but
it will be muted whenever the mute automation is set to mute the track.
● If the track's MUTE button is selected, the track is muted regardless of the
mute automation settings.

Applying volume or pan automation

1. Select an audio track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the track list
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

3. From the submenu, choose VOLUME or PAN. A check mark is displayed next to
the command, and an envelope is added to the timeline.

4. If you want to change the track's volume or pan setting throughout the track, edit

the envelope in the timeline. For more information, see Adjusting envelopes
(p. 1090)

NOTE Panning envelopes will use the current panning mode for the PAN slider
in the track list. For more information about panning modes, see Audio panning
modes (p. 908)

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5. If you want to change volume or pan settings by recording automation, select the

AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header. The VOLUME fader or PAN

slider handle is displayed as a in automation mode.

6. Drag the VOLUME fader or PAN slider to edit automation settings at the cursor
position. You can also adjust automation by editing the envelope in the timeline.

For more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)

The control behaves differently depending on the track's automation recording

mode. For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe
automation (p. 1096)
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the control adjusts the level
of the entire track. In this mode, the automation control acts as a second
trim control.
● When the track has a volume or pan envelope and the track automation
mode is set to READ, the control will follow the envelope during playback
but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the control
edits the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not have
an envelope, an envelope will be added when you adjust the control.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Applying assignable effects send automation

You can use assignable effects automation to vary the level of a track sent to an
assignable effects chain. Before you can add an assignable effects envelope, you'll need to

add an assignable effects chain to your project. For more information, see Adding an
assignable effects chain (p. 1008)

1. Select an audio track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the track list
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

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3. From the submenu, choose the effects chain where you want to send the selected
track. A check mark is displayed for each assignable effects chain that is auto-
mated for the selected track.

4. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header. The fader

thumb is displayed as a in automation mode. You can also edit automation by

editing the envelope in the timeline. For more information, see Adjusting envel-
opes (p. 1090)

5. Click the label on the multipurpose slider and choose an assignable effects chain
from the menu.

6. Drag the FX fader to control the level of the track sent to each of the assignable
FX chains that you have created.
The fader behaves differently depending on the track's automation recording

mode. For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe
automation (p. 1096)
● When the track has an assignable effects envelope and the track automation
mode is set to OFF, the fader adjusts the send level of the entire track. In
this mode, the automation control acts as a second trim control.
● When the track has an assignable effects envelope and the track automation
mode is set to READ, the fader will follow the envelope during playback but
cannot be adjusted.

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● When the track has an assignable effects envelope and the track automation
mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the fader edits the envelope setting at the
cursor position. If the track does not have an envelope, one will be created
when you adjust the fader.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selectedtracks are adjusted.

Applying bus send automation

You can use bus envelopes to vary the level of a track sent to a bus. Before you can add a

bus envelope, you'll need to specify the number of busses for your project. For more
information, see Adding audio busses (p. 932)

1. Select an audio track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose AUDIO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the track list
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

3. From the submenu, choose the bus where you want to send the selected track. A
check mark is displayed for each bus send level that is automated for the selected
track.

4. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header. The fader

thumb is displayed as a in automation mode. You can also adjust automation by

editing the envelope in the timeline. For more information, see Adjusting envel-
opes (p. 1090)

5. Click the label on the multipurpose slider and choose a bus from the menu.

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6. Drag the fader to control the level of the track sent to the selected bus. Dragging
the fader to the left cuts the volume; dragging to the right boosts the volume.
The fader behaves differently depending on the track's automation recording

mode. For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe
automation (p. 1096)
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the fader adjusts the send
level of the entire track. In this mode, the automation control acts as a
second trim control.
● When the track has a bus envelope and the track automation mode is set to
READ, the fader will follow the envelope during playback but cannot be
adjusted.
● When the track has a bus envelope and the track automation mode is set to
TOUCH orLATCH, the fader edits the envelope setting at the cursor position.
If the track does not have an envelope, one will be created when you adjust
the fader.

If multiple tracks are selected, all selected tracks are adjusted.

Adding or removing track effect automation

If a plug-in supports automation, you can dynamically adjust effect parameters over time.

For more information, see Automating audio effect parameters (p. 1086)

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Hiding envelopes

From the View menu, choose AUDIO ENVELOPES, and choose the envelope you want to
hide from the submenu. Hiding an envelope simply removes the line from the timeline while
it retains the playback properties.

TIP From the View menu, choose SHOW ENVELOPES (or press Ctrl+Shift+E) to toggle
the display of all envelopes in the timeline.

If you've added effect automation envelopes to a track, the track can get cluttered. Click

the down arrow next to the TRACK FX button and choose an envelope from the drop-
down list to select which envelope you want to display.

Locking envelopes to events

From the Options menu, choose LOCK ENVELOPES TO EVENTS if you want envelope
points and position to move with an event when it is moved along the timeline.

NOTE This option also locks track-level keyframes to the events on the track. When
keyframes are locked, you can move events along the timeline, and their associated
keyframes move with them.

Video track automation

Video track envelopes allow you to vary compositing levels or fade a track between two
colors.

A track envelope will always affect all events on the track. This means that any event envel-
opes will be calculated after the track envelope.

To adjust track automation using the controls in the track header, select the AUTOMATION

SETTINGS button . When AUTOMATION SETTINGS is not selected, the LEVEL slider
adjusts static (trim) levels, and the FADE slider is not displayed.

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TIP Choose a fade type from the VIDEO DEFAULT drop-down list on the Editing tab of
the Preferences dialog to set the default fade type that will be used when you add
fade-to-color, composite level, and event velocity envelopes. This setting is not used

for track motion or keyframe envelopes. For more information, see Editing Tab (p.
1153)

Applying mute automation

1. Select a video track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose VIDEO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the track list
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

3. From the submenu, choose MUTE. A check mark is displayed next to the com-
mand, and an envelope is added to the timeline.

4. You can adjust the automation by editing the envelope in the timeline or by click-

ing the MUTE AUTOMATION button in the track header. For more inform-
ation, see Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)

Click the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header to toggle

between Mute and Mute Automation modes.

NOTE
When you apply mute automation to a track, it's possible to have a track that is

muted and soloed simultaneously if you use the MUTE and SOLO but-
tons in the track header. The mute state overrides the solo state:
● If a track's SOLO button is selected, the track is included in the solo
group, but it will be muted whenever the mute automation is set to mute
the track.
● If the track's MUTE button is selected, the track is muted regardless of
the mute automation settings.

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Applying composite-level automation

Composite-level automation allows you to vary the opacity/transparency of a video track

and has a similar effect to adjusting the LEVEL slider in the track header.

The COMPOSITING MODE button determines how the transparency in a video track is
generated. Since lower tracks show through higher tracks, it is the compositing mode of
the higher track that determines how much of the lower track shows though. The com-
positing mode of the lowest video track has no effect on a project. For more information
about compositing, see Compositing and masks (p. 794)

1. Select a video track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose VIDEO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the track list
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

3. From the submenu, choose TRACK COMPOSITE LEVEL.

If the track already contains a composite level envelope, it will be removed. If the
track does not contain a composite-level envelope, it will be added with a setting
of 100% for the duration of the track.

4. If you want to change the track's composite level throughout the track, edit the

envelope in the timeline. For more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p.
1090)

5. If you want to change the composite setting by recording automation, select the

AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header. The slider thumb is dis-

played as a in automation mode.

6. Drag the LEVEL slider.

The slider behaves differently if the track has a composite level envelope and

when you change the track automation recording mode. For more inform-
ation, see Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p. 1096)

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● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the slider adjusts the com-
posite level of the entire track. In this mode, the automation control acts as a
second trim control.
● When the track has a composite level envelope and the track automation
mode is set to READ, the slider will follow the envelope during playback but
cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the slider edits
the envelope setting at the cursor position. If the track does not have a com-
posite level envelope, an envelope will be added when you adjust the slider.

Applying fade-to-color automation and set fade colors

Fade-to-color automation is used to fade a track between two colors. It can be used to
fade a track to or from black, and if applied to the top video track, you can fade the entire
project.

Adding the envelope

The fade color is chosen by moving the envelope towards the top or bottom of the track.
You can add points (nodes) to automate the fade.

1. Select a video track.

2. From the Insert menu, choose VIDEO ENVELOPES, or right-click in the Track List
and choose INSERT/REMOVE ENVELOPE from the shortcut menu.

3. From the submenu, choose TRACK FADE TO COLOR.

If the track already contains a fade-to-color envelope, it will be removed. If the
track does not contain a fade-to-color envelope, it will be added with a setting of
NO COLOR (0%) for the duration of the track.

4. If you want to change the fade-to-color setting throughout the track, edit the

envelope in the timeline. For more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p.
1090)

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5. If you want to change the fade-to-color envelope by recording automation, select

the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button in the track header to display automation

controls. The FADE slider is available only in automation mode.

6. Drag the FADE slider.

The slider behaves differently when you change the track automation recording

mode. For more information, see Recording track envelope and keyframe
automation (p. 1096)
● When the track automation mode is set to OFF, the slider adjusts the fade
level of the entire track.
● When the track automation mode is set to READ, the slider will follow the
envelope during playback but cannot be adjusted.
● When the track automation mode is set to TOUCH or LATCH, the slider edits
the envelope setting at the cursor position.

Setting fade colors

The default fade colors are determined by the TRACK FADE TOP and TRACK FADE

BOTTOM controls on the Video tab of the Preferences dialog. For more information,
see Video Tab (p. 1117)

1. To change the TOP or BOTTOM color for a track, right-click the track header and
choose FADE COLORS from the shortcut menu.

2. Choose TOP or BOTTOM from the submenu. A color picker is displayed.

3. Use the color picker to specify the new color.

4. Click OK.

Hiding envelopes

From the View menu, choose VIDEO ENVELOPES and select the envelope you want to
hide.

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Hiding an envelope simply removes the line from the timeline while retaining automation
properties.

TIP From the View menu, choose SHOW ENVELOPES (or press Ctrl+Shift+E) to toggle
the display of all envelopes in the timeline.

Locking envelopes to events

From the Options menu, choose LOCK ENVELOPES TO EVENTS if you want envelope
points and position to move with an event when it is moved along the timeline.

NOTE This option also locks track-level keyframes to the events on the track. When
keyframes are locked, you can move events along the timeline, and their associated
keyframes move with them.

Automating audio effect parameters

When you add an effect that supports automation, you can use automation to dynamically
adjust effect parameters.

Automation for audio track effects is applied on the audio track. Automation for bus effects
and assignable effects is applied on the appropriate bus track.

For more information about audio effects, see Adding audio effects (p. 1001)Using bus
effects (p. 1004) and Using assignable effects (p. 1008)

Adding effect automation

1. Click the down arrow next to the TRACK FX button and choose FX
AUTOMATION to display the FX Automation Chooser.

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NOTE If no track effects exist, clicking the TRACK FX button will display the

Plug-In Chooser. Effects that can be automated are indicated by the icon in
the chooser. The first time you select a plug-in, the application will determine
whether it can be automated and will update the plug-in's icon and add it to
the AUTOMATABLEfolder in the Plug-In Chooser.

2. Click an effect button at the top of the FX Automation Chooser. A list of the
effect's automatable parameters is displayed:

3. Select the checkbox for each parameter that you want to control with an envel-
ope.

TIP If you're working with a 5.1 surround project, you can select the ENABLE
check boxes to determine which channels will be affected by the plug-in. An
automation envelope is added to the timeline for each selected channelso you
can enable or bypass the plug-in during the project.

If you want to use distinct plug-in settings for each channel (separate EQ settings
for the front and surround speakers, for example), you can add multiple instances
of the plug-in to the track effects chain and select the ENABLE checkboxes for
the channels you want each instance of the plug-in to affect.

4. Click OK to close the FX Automation Chooser. An envelope is added to the track

for each parameter that you selected in the FX Automation Chooser.

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Adjusting effect automation parameters

You can adjust automated effect parameters by editing the envelopes in the timeline or by
recording automation with the controls in the effects window. For more information, see
Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090) and Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p.
1096)

If you've enabled the BYPASS parameter for a plug-in, you can click the BYPASS button in
the plug-in's banner to toggle the Bypass envelope at the cursor position.

NOTE When you automate an effect’s frequency parameter — such as the frequency
parameters in the track EQ effect — you may notice that the frequency changes are
more apparent when moving through the lower frequencies. This is because frequency
scales in track EQ and other plug-ins use a logarithmic scale, but effect automation
uses linear interpolation.

To make the automated frequency changes sound more natural, change the fade curve
types to change the interpolation rates between envelope points. For high-to-low fre-
quency sweeps, use a fast fade curve; for low-to-high frequency sweeps, use a slow
curve. For more information about changing fade curves, see Adjusting envelopes (p.
1090)

Bypassing effect automation

Toggle the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION button in the effects window to enable or bypass
automation envelopes:
● After you've added effect automation envelopes, the BYPASS FX AUTOMATION
button is deselected, and effect parameters are automated using the envelope
settings.
● When the button is selected, effect automation envelopes are ignored and the
effect's initial state is used for the duration of the track.

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● If you delete all automation envelopes from a plug-in, the BYPASS FX

AUTOMATION button is unavailable.

Removing effect automation

1. Click the down arrow next to the TRACK FX button and choose FX
AUTOMATION to display the FX Automation Chooser.

NOTE If no track effects exist, clicking the TRACK FX button will display the

Plug-In Chooser. Effects that can be automated are indicated by the icon in
the chooser. The first time you select a plug-in, the application will determine
whether it can be automated and will update the plug-in's icon and add it to
the AUTOMATABLEfolder in the Plug-In Chooser.

2. Click an effect button at the top of the FX Automation Chooser. A list of the
effect's automatable parameters is displayed:

3. Clear the checkbox for the automation you want to remove.

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4. Click OK to close the FX Automation Chooser. The envelope is removed from the
timeline for each checkbox that you cleared in the FX Automation Chooser.

Adjusting envelopes

When the Normal Edit or Envelope , tool is selected, you can add, remove, or adjust
envelope points.

NOTE Events cannot be moved or edited when the Envelope tool is selected.

Adjusting an envelope

By default, a new envelope will contain a single envelope point. If you want to adjust the
overall level of an envelope, drag the envelope up or down. A floating ToolTip will show you
the envelope's current setting:

If an envelope has multiple points, you can drag each point, or you can drag envelope seg-
ments up or down.

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TIP
● If snapping is enabled, envelope points will snap to snap points. Hold Shift to

temporarily suspend snapping. For more information, see Enable snapping

(p. 290)
● Hold Ctrl while dragging an envelope point or segment to adjust the value in
fine increments without changing the envelope points' timeline positions.
● Hold Ctrl+Alt while dragging an envelope point or segment to adjust the value
in normal increments without changing the envelope points' timeline positions.
● Hold Alt while dragging an envelope point to move the point's timeline position
without changing its value.

●
With the Envelope tool , you can drag along the timeline to select multiple
envelope points in the selected track.

Adjusting envelope points within a time selection

When you drag envelope points within a time selection, all envelope points within the selec-
tion are adjusted, and a fade can be applied to the beginning and end of the selection to
smooth the transition.

1. Create a time selection.

For more information, see Creating selections and positioning the cursor (p.
240)

2. Drag an envelope point or segment within the selection. All envelope points within
the selection are adjusted as you drag, and fades are applied to the beginning and
end of the selection (additional envelope points are created as necessary):

You can use the Editing page of the Preferences dialog to set the default length
and alignment for these fades.

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Clear the TIME SELECTION ENVELOPE FADES checkbox on the Editing page of
the Preferences dialog if you want to edit envelope points individually.

For more information, see Editing Tab (p. 1153)

Adding envelope points

To create more complex envelopes, you will need to add points. To add an envelope point,
double-click the envelope. A new envelope point will be added which can be dragged and
positioned as necessary.

To delete a point, right-click it and choose DELETE from the shortcut menu.

Drawing envelope points (envelope brush)

To create an envelope quickly, you can draw freehand envelope curves in the timeline.

1. With the Normal Edit or Envelope tool active, hover over an envelope.

2. Hold Shift, and then click and drag over the envelope. The cursor is displayed as a

As you drag, a trail of envelope points is created.

3. Release the mouse button when you're finished drawing.

If the SMOOTH AND THIN AUTOMATION DATA AFTER RECORDING OR DRAWING
checkbox is selected on the External Control & Automation tab of the Preferences
dialog, the number of envelope points will be reduced when you release the
mouse.

For more information, see External Control & Automation Tab (p. 1169)

Unthinned envelope

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Thinned envelope

Thinning envelope points

Thinning envelope points decreases the number of points on an envelope while retaining
its overall settings.

Right-click an envelope and choose THIN ALL POINTS from the shortcut menu to thin the
entire envelope.

To apply thinning to a section of the envelope, create a time selection, right-click the envel-
ope, and then choose THIN SELECTED POINTS from the shortcut menu.

NOTE Thinning is intended to reduce the number of envelope points created through
automation recording and will have little or no effect if you create envelopes by adding
and editing points manually.

Flipping an envelope

You can flip an envelope to invert the envelope around its center. Volume, panning, bus,
and assignable effects envelopes can be flipped.

Flipping all points

1. Right-click an envelope or a point. A shortcut menu is displayed.

2. Choose FLIP ALL POINTS from the shortcut menu.

Flipping selected points

1. Create a time selection with the Normal Edit or the Envelope tool .

2. Right-click an envelope in the time selection. A shortcut menu is displayed.

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3. Choose FLIP SELECTED POINTS from the shortcut menu.

Setting fade properties

You can adjust the fade curve for each envelope segment individually. To change the fade
curve, right-click an envelope segment and choose a command from the shortcut menu.

Fade Type Fade In/Out Envelope

Linear Fade

Fast Fade

Slow Fade

Smooth Fade

Sharp Fade

Hold

Cutting, copying, and pasting envelope points

1. Select the Envelope tool .

2. Select the envelope points you want to copy:

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a. Create a time selection that contains the envelope points you want to copy.

b. Click the envelope you want to copy.

TIP If the envelope isn't displayed, you can right-click the track, choose SHOW
ENVELOPES from the shortcut menu, and then choose an envelope from the
submenu.

3. From the Edit menu, choose COPY.

4. Select the envelope where you want to paste the envelope points:

a. Click within a track to select it.

b. Insert an audio or video envelope if needed. For more information, see Audio
track automation (p. 1074) or Video track automation (p. 1081)

c. Click to select the envelope where you want to paste the selected points.

d. Click to position the cursor where you want the envelope to start.

5. From the Edit menu, choose PASTE.

Copying an envelope to another track

1. Select the Envelope tool .

2. Select the envelope you want to copy:

a. Double-click above the time ruler to create a time selection that matches the
length of your project.

b. Click the envelope you want to copy.

TIP If the envelope isn't displayed, you can right-click the track, choose SHOW
ENVELOPES from the shortcut menu, and then choose an envelope from the
submenu.

3. From the Edit menu, choose COPY.

4. Select the envelope where you want to paste the envelope points:

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a. Click within a track to select it.

b. Insert an audio or video envelope if needed. For more information, see Audio
track automation (p. 1074) or Video track automation (p. 1081)

c. Click to select the envelope where you want to paste the selected points.

d. Click GO TO START if you want the envelope to appear exactly as it was

in the original track, or click to position the cursor where you want the envel-
ope to start.

5. From the Edit menu, choose PASTE.

Recording track envelope and keyframe automation

Automation recording allows you to edit envelope and keyframe settings by using the con-
trols in the VEGAS Pro interface. When combined with a control surface, you can create
fades and adjust control parameters with a level of control that only a tangible control can
provide.

For more information, see Using a control surface (p. 465)

Automation recording is available for the following settings:

● Audio track envelopes (using the controls in the track header)

● Audio track effect parameters for automatable effects (using the controls in the
Track FX window)
● Bus and assignable effects output and panning levels (using the controls in the
Mixing Console window or bus track header)
● Surround panning keyframes

● Video track envelopes (using the controls in the track header)

● Video track effect parameters (using the controls in the Video Track FX window)

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● Custom composite mode plug-in settings (using the controls in Parent Track Com-

posite Mode or Track Composite Mode window when SYNC CURSOR is selec-
ted)
● Track-level mask generator plug-in settings (using the controls in the Video Track

FX window when SYNC CURSOR is selected)

TIP If you want to thin envelope points after recording automation, you can select the
SMOOTH AND THIN AUTOMATION DATA AFTER RECORDING checkbox on the
External Control & Automation tab of the Preferences dialog or right-click the envelope
and choose THIN ALL POINTS or THIN SELECTED POINTS from the shortcut menu. For
more information, see External Control & Automation Tab (p. 1169)

Record automation settings

1. Add an envelope or automatable/keyframeable effect to a track.

For automatable audio track effects, you must add an effect automation envelope
for each parameter you want to automate. For more information, see Automating
audio effect parameters (p. 1086)

2. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

TIP To toggle automation controls for all tracks, press Ctrl+A before selecting
the AUTOMATIONSETTINGS button.

3. Click the next to the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button and choose AUTOMATION
WRITE (TOUCH) or AUTOMATION WRITE (LATCH) from the menu.

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Automation
Recording Track Icon Description
Mode

Envelope points or keyframes are created

only while a control is being adjusted. When
Automation
you stop adjusting the control, automation
Write (Touch)
recording stops and the existing envelope
points/keyframes are unaffected.

Envelope points or keyframes are created

when you change a control setting, and
Automation recording continues until you stop playback.
Write (Latch) When you stop adjusting the control, the
control's current setting overwrites the exist-
ing envelope points/keyframes.

4. Click to position the cursor in the timeline, and click the PLAY button to start
playback.

5. Adjust the control that corresponds to the envelope point or keyframe you want to
adjust.
During playback, adjusting a control will create envelope points or keyframes at
the cursor position. As long as you're adjusting the control, new envelope point-
s/keyframes will be created for each change of the play cursor's position.

6. Click STOP to end playback and stop recording automation.

Edit sections of your recorded settings in Touch mode

In Touch recording mode, envelope points or keyframes are created only while a control is
being adjusted. When you stop adjusting the control, automation recording stops and the
existing envelope points/keyframes are unaffected.

Use Touch mode for touching up sections of your recorded automation settings.

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1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

TIP To toggle automation controls for all tracks, press Ctrl+A before selecting
the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button.

2. Click the next to the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button and choose AUTOMATION

WRITE (TOUCH) from the menu. The icon in the track header is displayed as a .

3. Click to position the cursor in the timeline, and click the PLAY button to start
playback.

4. When you're ready to start editing, adjust the control that corresponds to the
envelope point or keyframe you want to adjust.
Envelope points/keyframes are updated at the cursor position, and when you stop
adjusting the control, the original settings are preserved.

5. Click STOP to end playback and stop recording automation.

Overwrite recorded settings in Latch mode

In Latch mode, envelope points or keyframes are created when you change a control set-
ting, and recording continues until you stop playback. When you stop adjusting the control,
the control's current setting overwrites the existing envelope points/keyframes.

Use Latch mode to overwrite automation settings with new values.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

TIP To toggle automation controls for all tracks, press Ctrl+A before selecting
the AUTOMATIONSETTINGS button.

2. Click the next to the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button and choose AUTOMATION

WRITE (LATCH) from the menu. The icon in the track header is displayed as a .

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3. Click to position the cursor in the timeline, and click the PLAY button to start
playback.

4. When you're ready to start editing, adjust the control that corresponds to the
envelope point or keyframe you want to adjust.
Envelope points/keyframes are updated at the cursor position until you stop play-
back.

5. Click STOP to end playback and stop recording automation.

Edit individual envelope points or keyframes

Editing individual envelope points or keyframes gives you fine control over your recorded
settings.

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button on the track you want to edit.

2. Click the next to the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button and choose TRACK
AUTOMATION: WRITE (TOUCH) or TRACK AUTOMATION: WRITE (LATCH) from
the menu.

3. Select the parameter you want to edit:

●
For a track envelope, select the envelope tool and click the envelope
point you want to edit. You can right-click a point and choose PROPERTIES
from the shortcut menu to display an effect's property page.
● For a keyframe, click the EXPAND/COLLAPSE TRACK KEYFRAMES button
to expand track keyframe rows, and then double-click a keyframe to open
its property page. For more information about using an effect, see Adding
video effects (p. 513)

4. Adjust the control that corresponds to the envelope point or keyframe you want to
adjust. The selected envelope point/keyframe is edited, and all others are unaf-
fected.
For track envelopes, you can also edit the envelope directly in the timeline. For
more information, see Adjusting envelopes (p. 1090)

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Set the automation recording mode for a track

1. Select the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button .

2. Click the next to the AUTOMATION SETTINGS button and choose a command
from the menu to choose the automation mode.

TIP To set the automation mode for all tracks, press Ctrl+A before choosing a mode on
any track.

Track
Mode Description
Icon

Automated parameters are ignored during playback.

Off When you switch to Off mode, the control setting from the
cursor position is used as a static setting, and the envel-
ope/keyframe is dimmed to indicate that it is unavailable.

The envelope/keyframe value is applied during playback, and

the control reflects the envelope/keyframe settings at the
Read cursor position.

Adjustments to the control are not recorded.

The envelope/keyframe value is applied during playback, and

the control follows the envelope/keyframe settings during
playback and when you position the cursor.
Write
(Touch) Envelope points or keyframes are created only while a control
is being adjusted. When you stop adjusting the control, auto-
mation recording stops and the existing envelope point-
s/keyframes are unaffected.

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Track
Mode Description
Icon

The envelope/keyframe value is applied during playback, and

the control follows the envelope/keyframe settings during
playback and when you position the cursor.
Write
(Latch) Envelope points or keyframes are created when you change a
control setting, and recording continues until you stop play-
back. When you stop adjusting the control, the control's last
setting overwrites the existing envelope points/keyframes.

Using Scripting
You can use scripting to streamline repetitive tasks, integrate with external applications,
and implement customized features.

From the Tools menu, choose SCRIPTING and choose a command from the submenu.

IMPORTANT Scripts can pose a security risk to your computer. A script has the power
to delete files, read files, write files, execute programs, access the Internet, access files
on your network, and so on. Always examine the contents of a script before running it.
If you don't understand the script, do not run it unless it comes from a trusted source. In
general, take the same precautions you would take for any program you download from
the Internet or receive in an e-mail attachment.

IMPORTANT
J# is not supported in .NET 4.0. If you need to use JScript scripts, please install the
.NET 2.0/3.5 runtime libraries.

To install, choose PROGRAMS AND FEATURES, choose TURN WINDOWS FEATURES

ON OR OFF, and then select the .NET FRAMEWORK 3.5 (INCLUDES .NET 2.0 AND 3.0)
check box.

After installing .NET, please restart VEGAS Pro.

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Running a script
1. From the Tools menu, choose SCRIPTING.

2. Choose a script from the submenu or choose RUN SCRIPT from the submenu to
browse to the script file (.vb or .cs) you want to run.

Adding scripts to the Scripting menu

When you start the program, VEGAS Pro looks at the Script Menu folder in the VEGAS Pro
program folder to determine which scripts appear in the Scripting submenu. This folder is
C:\Program Files\VEGAS\VEGAS Pro\22\Script Menu by default.

1. Add or delete scripts in the Script Menu folder to change the contents of the sub-
menu.

TIP To prevent duplication of script files, you can use shortcuts in the Script
Menu folder.

2. From the Tools menu, choose Scripting, and then choose RESCAN SCRIPT MENU
FOLDER to update the menu.

Using VEGAS Pro extensions

VEGAS Pro extensions are compiled scripts that are available under the Extensions sub-
menu in the View, Edit, or Tools menus. These extensions are loaded when VEGAS Pro
starts and remain loaded as long as the program is running. Extensions can respond to
changes in project data, control playback, and display a non modal interface.

You can use the Customize Toolbar dialog to add VEGAS Pro extensions to the toolbar, or
use the Customize Keyboard dialog to assign keyboard shortcuts to VEGAS Pro exten-
sions.

For more information, see Customizing the toolbar (p. 59) and Customizing keyboard
shortcuts (p. 60)

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VEGAS Pro extensions are saved in C:\Users\user name\AppData\Local\VEGAS\

Application Extensions.

Creating a script
VEGAS Pro scripting uses the Microsoft .NET framework for scripting. You can write scripts
in C# or Visual Basic .NET.

Editing an existing script

All you need to edit a script is a simple text editor. The scripts that are included with VEGAS
Pro are fully commented to help you find and edit the parameters you need.

1. Create a copy of the script (.vb or .cs) file you want to edit, assigning a descriptive
name to the copy.

2. Open the new copy of the script in your text editor and edit the script as needed.

Creating custom button images for scripts

If you want to display custom icons for scripts in the Scripting menu and toolbars, you can
add .png files to your Script Menu folder.

1. Create a 32-bit PNG file with the icon you want to use. Icons must be 16x16 pixels,
and transparency is supported.

2. Save the PNG file in your Script Menu folder (typically C:\Program
Files\VEGAS\VEGAS Pro 22.0\Script Menu) using the same name as the
script the icon should represent.
For example, to assign a custom icon to the HelloWorld.cs script, the icon should
be saved as HelloWorld.cs.png.

3. Customize the toolbar as needed, and the custom icons will be displayed in the
Scripting menu (and in any toolbars that include the script) toolbar the next time
you start the application.

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Using VEGAS Pro command-line options

You can use the following commands to start VEGAS Pro from the command line, open pro-
jects, start scripts, pass arguments to scripts, or start VEGAS Pro extensions.

NOLOGO

Starts VEGAS Pro without displaying the application splash screen.

EXAMPLE Vegas220.exe /NOLOGO

OPEN

Starts VEGAS Pro and opens the specified media file or project.

EXAMPLE
Vegas220.exe /OPEN "E:\Video\Wildflowers 001.avi"

—or—

Vegas220.exe /OPEN "E:\Vegas_Projects\24p widescreen.veg"

RUNSCRIPT

Starts VEGAS Pro and runs the specified script.

EXAMPLE
Vegas220.exe /RUNSCRIPT "C:\CustomScripts\ScriptName.cs"

—or—

Vegas220.exe /SCRIPT "C:\CustomScripts\ScriptName.cs"

SCRIPTARGS

Starts VEGAS Pro and passes the specified arguments to a script.

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EXAMPLE Vegas220.exe /SCRIPTARGS "<argument>" /SCRIPT "<script

path>"

NOTE For more information about script arguments, please see the VEGAS Pro Script-
ing API.

CMDMODULE

Starts VEGAS Pro and loads the specified extension.

You can use this method to add VEGAS Pro extensions that are not saved in the extensions
search path.

EXAMPLE Vegas220.exe /CMDMODULE "E:\Extensions\MyExtension.dll"

OPENPRJ

Starts VEGAS Pro and opens the project file referenced in the specified media file.

EXAMPLE Vegas220.exe /OPEN "E:\Video\Wildflowers 001.avi"

NOTE This command will have no effect if the specified media file was not rendered
with an embedded project path reference.

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Preferences
General Tab 1109
Video Tab 1117
Preview Device Tab 1122
Audio Tab 1135
Audio Device Tab 1141
MIDI Tab 1151
VST Effects Tab 1152
Editing Tab 1153
Display Tab 1159
CD Settings Tab 1163
Sync Tab 1165
External Control & Automation Tab 1169
File I/O Tab 1174
Deprecated Features 1178

Choose OPTIONS | PREFERENCES to display the Preferences window. Use the tabs in this
window to customize the interface to suit your needs and working preferences.

Whether you want to use VEGAS Pro on another computer or if you have to reinstall the pro-
gram after a hard disk crash, optimizing the Preferences for your personal needs takes
some time and effort. So it is a good idea to backup your preferences regularly. To do so,
export your preferences with menu OPTIONS | EXPORT PREFERENCES... and save all
preferences to a file. Use IMPORT PREFERENCES... to import such a preferences file (*.ve-
gprefs) back into a VEGAS Pro installation.

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IMPORTANT Importing preferences may require a restart of the program. Therefore,

you better save your project before importing preferences.

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General Tab
From the OPTIONS menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the General tab to specify
miscellaneous options.

Item Description

Automatically
When this checkbox is selected, last project you edited will be
open last pro-
reopened if the project was still open when you exited VEGAS Pro.
ject on startup

Confirm media When this checkbox is selected, a message box will appear asking
deletion when if you want to delete a media file that is currently in use by the pro-
still in use ject.

Save active
When this checkbox is selected, prerendered video files are pre-
prerenders on
served when a project is closed.
project close

Close media
When this checkbox is selected, files can be edited in external
files when not
editors (audio, image, etc.) while they are contained in events on
the active
the VEGAS Pro timeline.
application

Close audio
and MIDI ports
Select this checkbox if you want to close audio and MIDI ports
when not the
when you switch to another application.
active applic-
ation

Use Newsfeed
to stay
When this checkbox is selected, you will receive notification when
informed about
updates are available. Clear the checkbox to bypass the News-
VEGAS
feed dialog.
product
updates

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Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want VEGAS Pro to ask you whether
you want to match your project video settings to match the first
video media you add to the timeline.
Prompt to
adjust project
NOTE If you choose a VEGAS Pro project (.veg) file, VEGAS Pro
settings to
will match the settings of the project, not the media within the
match first
project.
media added
to timeline When the checkbox is cleared, no prompt will be displayed.

For more information, see Setting project properties (p. 72)

Check project
When this checkbox is selected, VEGAS Pro will check whether
file type asso-
VEGAS Pro files are associated with VEGAS Pro and will prompt
ciations at star-
you to restore the file association if necessary.
tup

Select this checkbox if you want to use a joystick to control pan-

ning, color corrector wheels, and other controls. For more

Enable joystick information, see Using a joystick for panning, adjusting controls,
support and color correction (p. 504)

Clearing the checkbox can prevent problems with copy-pro-

tection dongles.

Allow pulldown Select this checkbox if you want to remove pulldown when you
removal when open 24 fps progressive-scan DV video files.
opening 24p When the checkbox is cleared, 24p video is read as 29.97 fps
DV interlaced video (60i).

AAF Export -
This enables the use of frame units instead of time units for audio
Use frame unit
when exporting to AAF format.
for audio

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Item Description

When this option is selected, audio volume changes (envelopes)

AAF Export - that have been applied directly to clips in the Vegas Pro timeline
Use clip-based will be included in the AAF file when exporting. This ensures that
audio envelope audio level adjustments carry over to other systems that support
AAF, maintaining the audio dynamics set in VEGAS Pro.

When this checkbox is selected, two-channel audio files will be

opened as separate mono audio events on separate tracks:

The audio events are grouped, and tracks that are created by
adding media will be panned hard left and hard right. You can
select an event and choose EDIT | CHANNELS to choose which
Import stereo channel is used for that event.
as dual mono
You can use this feature when working with two-channel source
media that contains two distinct audio channels, such as an inter-
view in which channel 1 contains the interviewer's voice and chan-
nel 2 contains the subject's voice.

When the checkbox is cleared, two-channel audio files will be

opened as a stereo pair on a single track:

For more information, see Audio channels (p. 366)

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Use GPU pro-

This allows VEGAS Pro to use the computer's GPU to process
cessing for
ACES (Academy Color Encoding System) color management
ACES color
tasks.
management

Prompt to keep When this checkbox is selected, the Recorded Files dialog box will
files after appear after every recording session allowing you to rename,
recording delete, or keep the .wav file.

Create undos
When this checkbox is selected, undos are created for all changes
for FX para-
made to effect parameters.
meter changes

Select this checkbox if you want effects to remain open so you

Keep
can bypass/enable effects with no pause for A/B testing. When
bypassed FX
the checkbox is cleared, effects are fully bypassed, conserving
running
processing power.

Automatically
name regions When this checkbox is selected, an edit box is displayed so you
and markers if can name markers and regions as you place them.
not playing

When this checkbox is selected, the scrub control uses a linear

range. When the checkbox is cleared, the playback rate increases
Use linear or decreases more as you drag toward the ends of the scrub con-
scrub range trol.

For more information, see Scrubbing (p. 388)

Allow
Ctrl+drag
When this checkbox is selected, you can scrub with the mouse
cursor style
even when the cursor is over an event.
scrub over
events

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Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to extend marker and region

lines across tracks in the VEGAS Pro timeline. When the checkbox
Always draw is cleared, marker lines are drawn only when Enable Snapping is
marker lines turned on.

For more information, see Enable snapping (p. 290)

Select this checkbox if you want to be able to drag the cursor to

change its position on the timeline and in the Trimmer window.
Allow edit When this checkbox is selected, you can position the cursor
cursor to be without losing your loop region
dragged
To create a time selection without moving the cursor, hold the
Shift key.

Double-click
on media file
When checked, double-clicking a media file will open the file in the
loads into Trim-
Trimmer window instead of adding the file to a track.
mer instead of
tracks

Show Trimmer
When this checkbox is selected, the Trimmer history drop-down
history with file-
list displays the media file's name first, followed by the folder it is
name first,
in. Select this to reverse the names.
then folder

Automatically
save Trimmer
When this checkbox is selected, markers and regions created at
markers and
the media file level in the Trimmer will be saved to the file.
regions with
media file

Provide a warn-
ing if a track
Unselect this checkbox when you don't want to be warned when
being deleted
you delete a track that contains events.
holds at least
one event

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Item Description

Warn if cre-
ating a nested
timeline may This option will give a warning if creating a nested timeline could
adversely potentially have negative consequences for the project.
affect the pro-
ject

Warn to save
modified nes-
ted timeline You'll receive a warning to save any modifications made to a
prior to open- media timeline before opening the parent timeline.
ing parent
timeline

Always show
Welcome When checked, the Welcome Screen will always be displayed
Screen when upon starting VEGAS Pro.
program starts

Automatically Enables the automatic thinning of envelopes after they are drawn
thin envelopes to reduce the number of points and smooth out the envelope
after drawing curve.

Enable auto- If selected, VEGAS Pro will automatically save your project at reg-
save ular intervals.

Double-click
event edge to Allows you to enter the Expanded Edit Mode by double-clicking
toggle Expan- the edge of an event.
ded Edit Mode

Enable Auto-
When enabled, the FX window will resize automatically based on
matic FX Win-
the number of effects.
dow Resizing

Disable hard-
Disables the warning message that appears if there is a potential
ware detection
issue detected with hardware at the program's launch.
launch warning

Preferences General Tab 1113

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

With this preference active, VEGAS Pro still creates the .sfk data
so that it can show the audio waveform and display proper meter-
ing. However, this .sfk data is stored in temporary memory instead
of in a permanent .sfk file.

This only affects .sfk data that you create when you add a new
Do not create audio file to the project. If any .sfk files already exist from earlier,
.sfk files to VEGAS Pro still uses those files. If you delete those old .sfk files,
store peak VEGAS Pro will rebuild them when you add the files again or return
data to your project, but now this information will also be held in tem-
porary memory.

Since the .sfk data is temporary, it is lost as soon as you close the
project. This means that when you reopen the project, VEGAS Pro
will need time to rebuild the .sfk data before it can show the wave-
forms and so on.

The preference flags newly created SFK files as Hidden so that

they honor your Window Hidden Files settings. Change your Win-
dows settings to show hidden files, and you will now see the .sfk
file along with the original audio file.

This preference only affects .sfk files that are created after you
Hide new .sfk set it. .sfk files created previously do not contain the hide flag and
files thus do not react to this preference. If you want those .sfk files to
also respect the hide flag, delete the existing .sfk files. Then
return to your VEGAS Pro project. Since VEGAS Pro will no longer
find those deleted .sfk files, it creates new ones for any audio in
your project. Those new .sfk files now contain the hide flag and
will be hidden according to your Windows settings.

Send analysis If this is checked, VEGAS Pro will send analysis data to MAGIX for
data to MAGIX product improvement purposes.

Select the checkbox and enter a number in the edit box if you
Recently used
want to list your most recently used projects at the bottom of the
project list
File menu.

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Item Description

Displays the folder where temporary files are created. Click the
BROWSE button to specify a new folder.

NOTE When you add a media file from a removable device, a

copy of the media file is stored in a subfolder within this folder.
Temporary
This keeps the media file available for use even if the source of
files folder
the media is no longer accessible.

Be aware that these subfolders are cleared when you close the
VEGAS Pro application. However, they are not cleared if the applic-
ation closes inappropriately.

Free storage
Displays the amount of space available in the folder specified in
space in selec-
the TEMPORARY FILES FOLDER box.
ted folder

Default All Restores the General page options to the default settings.

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Video Tab
From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the Video tab to specify video
settings and to adjust the preview settings for the Video Preview window.

For more information, see Using the Video Preview window (p. 185)

Item Description

Enter a value to set the amount of RAM that you want to dedicate
to video previews.

For more information, see Using dynamic RAM previews (p.

Dynamic RAM
200)
preview max
IMPORTANT The maximum size of the RAM cache is displayed
to the right of the control. If you reserve excessive amounts of
RAM for your RAM cache, performance may decrease.

This setting specifies the maximum number of threads that will be

used for rendering files.

Increasing the setting will not increase performance beyond the

number of available threads; for example, if you have a single-pro-
Maximum num- cessor computer, choosing 2 will not improve rendering per-
ber of ren- formance.
dering threads
Decrease the setting if you have a multiprocessor (or multicore)
computer and want to limit processor use or turn off mul-
tithreaded rendering. For example, if you had a dual-processor
hyperthreaded computer, choosing 3 would allow you to keep one
thread available for other tasks while rendering.

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Item Description

Many built-in video processing functions and video plug-ins in

VEGAS Pro support GPU acceleration. To enable GPU-accel-
erated video processing, choose a device from the GPU
ACCELERATION OF VIDEO PROCESSING drop-down list.

Choose OFF to turn off this feature.

GPU accel- NOTE

eration of ● Only compatible devices are displayed in this list.
video pro-
● In a system with multiple GPU's, VEGAS indicates
cessing
which GPU is optimally configured to get best per-
formance and by default, selects the optimal GPU
device for accelerated video processing.
● The GPU Accelerated folder in the Transitions, Video
FX, Media Generators, and Compositors windows allow
you to easily identify your GPU-accelerated plug-ins.

Show source Determines how individual frame information, located in a box at

frame numbers the lower left-hand corner of each frame, will be displayed. The
on event frame information box can include FRAME NUMBERS, TIME, or
thumbnails as TIMECODE.

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Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose which thumb-

nails you want to draw in video events.
● NONE: No video frames are displayed.

● HEAD: Only the first frame is displayed.

Thumbnails to ● HEAD, TAIL: The first and last frame are displayed.
show in video
● HEAD, CENTER, TAIL: The first, middle, and last frames
events
are displayed.
● ALL: All frames are displayed.

TIP If you want to toggle audio waveforms in events, choose

VIEW | AUDIO EVENT WAVEFORMS.

Automatically
create video
When using 4k media and above proxies are created auto-
proxies for
matically. You can disable this here, when you have a real fast
greater than 4k
machine.
resolution
media

Specify a percentage for the border size in the video's safe area.
Video within this safe area will always be visible on a television
Action safe
monitor. The safe action borders are displayed in the Video Pre-
area (%)

view window as a grid via clicking on the OVERLAYS button .

Specify a percentage for the border size in the video's safe title
area. Video within this safe area will always be visible on a tele-
Title safe area vision monitor. The safe title borders are displayed in the Video
(%) Preview window as a grid via clicking on the OVERLAYS button

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Item Description

Horizontal grid
divisions (#) Specifies the settings for the grid in the Video Preview window.
The grid is used to help you line up overlays, pan and scan, and
Vertical grid video motion.
divisions (#)

Display at pro- Displays the Video Preview window at the size specified on the
ject size Video tab of the Project Properties dialog.

Displays square pixels in the Video Preview window even if the

PIXEL ASPECT RATIO setting in the Project Properties dialog is
using nonsquare pixels (DV).

This switch will turn on/off square/non-square interpolation, allow-

ing faster playback and viewing flexibility when drawing video
Simulate
frames to the VEGAS Pro Video Preview window.
device aspect
ratio
TIP When you are performing pixel-critical editing (such as
chroma keying or precise track motion/cropping), leave this
preference turned off. Turning on square-pixel interpolation
will scale the image and can potentially hide some detail when
it combines pixels.

Background
Determines the color of the Video Preview window's background.
color

If you're working with a stereoscopic 3D project and want to over-

ride the project settings for previewing your stereoscopic 3D pro-
Stereoscopic ject in the Video Preview window, choose a setting from the
3D mode STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444)

Select this checkbox if you want to display take names in the

Display take Video Preview window when editing multicamera video.
names
For more information, see Editing multicamera video (p. 438)

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Display take Select this checkbox if you want to display take names in the
numbers Video Preview window when editing multicamera video.

Click to display a color picker you can use to choose the color that
will be used to indicate the current take when editing multicamera
Active take video.
indicator
Click the button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes,
or click the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Determines the color of the fade-to-color envelope when the

envelope is dragged toward the top of the track.

Click the color swatch to display a color picker, where you can

choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click the
button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or click the
eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.
Track fade top

For more information, see Video track automation (p. 1081)

TIP You can set the track fade colors for each video track inde-
pendently by right-clicking the track header, choosing FADE
COLORS, and then choosing TOP or BOTTOM from the sub-
menu.

Determines the color of the fade-to-color envelope when the

envelope is dragged toward the bottom of the track.

Track fade bot- Click the color swatch to display a color picker, where you can
tom choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click the
button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or click the
eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Default All Restores the Video page options to the default settings.

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Preview Device Tab

From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and then click the Preview Device tab to
configure an external monitor. Your video will be sent to this device when you click the

PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR button in the Video Preview window.

TIP
● If your project contains complex effects or compositing and you cannot attain
full-frame-rate playback, use selective prerendering to prerender the sections

of your project that cannot be rendered in real time. For more information,
see Selectively prerender video (p. 208)
● If your video preview device supports audio playback (please see the DETAILS
box on the Preview Device tab for device status), you can play your project
audio through your video preview device.
First, configure your video preview device. Next, click the Audio Device tab
and choose MICROSOFT SOUND MAPPER from the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE
drop-down list and select the USE AUDIO-CAPABLE PREVIEW DEVICE check

box. For more information, see Audio Device Tab (p. 1141)

AJA devices
1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and then click the Preview
Device tab.

2. From the DEVICE drop-down list, choose AJA VIDEO DEVICE. The Details box dis-
plays information about the device.

3. Use the CONFORM OUTPUT TO THE FOLLOWING FORMAT controls to adjust the
video to display properly on your external monitor.

a. Choose the desired format from the CONFORM OUTPUT TO THE

FOLLOWING FORMAT drop-down list.

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b. Select a radio button to indicate when you want to adjust the output to the
selected format.

Setting Description

Select this radio button if you want to adjust the

Only when the
video only if the project settings do not match a
project does not
match any avail- standard format. For more information, see
able format
Setting project properties (p. 72)

Select this radio button if you want to adjust the

video output to the selected format whenever you
preview on the external monitor.
Use this setting when you do not have a preview
Always
device that supports your required project format.
For example, if you're creating a PAL project, but
you don't have a PAL monitor, you could use this
setting to preview on an NTSC monitor.

4. Select the USE PROGRESSIVE SEGMENTED FRAME (PSF) VIDEO FORMATS

checkbox if your project properties are set to a progressive-scan format and you
want to preview on a device that stores and transfers progressive-scan frames by
dividing fields.

5. Select the USE 10-BIT ENCODING checkbox if you're using 10-bit source material
and the PIXEL FORMAT setting on the Video tab of the Project Properties tab is
set to 32-BIT FLOATING POINT.
Enabling 10-bit encoding allows your preview to maintain higher color resolution
when previewing video.
When the checkbox is not selected, the video preview output will use 8-bit encod-
ing.

6. If audio and video do not play back in synchronization, use the SYNC OFFSET con-
trol to specify a frame offset to restore synchronization.

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NOTE This setting affects preview synchronization only. Audio and video syn-
chronization in your project is unaffected. Depending on your hardware setup,
you may need to adjust your settings. For example, you might need one setting
when previewing directly to a monitor and a slightly higher setting when pre-
viewing through a monitor that is connected to a deck.

7. Choose a setting from the GENLOCK drop-down list if you want to synchronize
your video output with a reference signal.

Setting Description

Video In Synchronizes to the SDI input.

Ref In Synchronizes to an external reference input signal.

Free Run Ignores all input signals and uses internal timing.

8. Select the RECOMPRESS EDITED FRAMES checkbox if you want to recompress

edited frames in your project before previewing.
When the checkbox is cleared, edited frames will not be passed to your preview
device.

9. Select the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK

checkbox if you want to preview on the external monitor and in the VEGAS Pro
Video Preview window simultaneously.
When the checkbox is cleared, video is sent only to the external monitor.

10. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're ren-
dering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting from the
Project Properties dialog for previewing your project.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media Prop-
erties setting, but the Video Preview output is unrotated—you can use this setting
to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

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11. Choose a setting from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list if you're
working with a stereoscopic 3D project and want to override the project settings
for previewing your stereoscopic 3D project on an external monitor.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444) and Setting up ste-
reoscopic 3D previews (p. 450)

Blackmagic Design DeckLink devices

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and then click the Preview
Device tab.

2. From the DEVICE drop-down list, choose BLACKMAGIC DESIGN DECKLINK

VIDEO DEVICE. The Details box displays information about the device.

3. Use the CONFORM OUTPUT TO THE FOLLOWING FORMAT controls to adjust the
video to display properly on your external monitor.

a. Choose the desired format from the CONFORM OUTPUT TO THE

FOLLOWING FORMAT drop-down list.

b. Select a radio button to indicate when you want to adjust the output to the
selected format.

Setting Description

Select this radio button if you want to adjust the

Only when the
video only if the project settings do not match a
project does not
match any avail- standard format. For more information, see
able format
Setting project properties (p. 72)

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Setting Description

Select this radio button if you want to adjust the

video output to the selected format whenever you
preview on the external monitor.
Use this setting when you do not have a preview
Always
device that supports your required project format.
For example, if you're creating a PAL project, but
you don't have a PAL monitor, you could use this
setting to preview on an NTSC monitor.

4. Select the USE 10-BIT ENCODING checkbox if you're using 10-bit source material
and the PIXEL FORMAT setting on the Video tab of the Project Properties tab is
set to 32-BIT FLOATING POINT.
Enabling 10-bit encoding allows your preview to maintain higher color resolution
when previewing video.
When the checkbox is not selected, the video preview output will use 8-bit encod-
ing.

5. If audio and video do not play back in synchronization, drag the SYNC OFFSET
slider to specify a frame offset to restore synchronization.

NOTE This setting affects preview synchronization only. Audio and video syn-
chronization in your project is unaffected. Depending on your hardware setup,
you may need to adjust your settings. For example, you might need one setting
when previewing directly to a monitor and a slightly higher setting when pre-
viewing through a monitor that is connected to a deck.

6. Select the RECOMPRESS EDITED FRAMES checkbox if you want to recompress

edited frames in your project before previewing. When the checkbox is cleared,
edited frames will not be passed to your preview device.

7. Select the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK

checkbox if you want to preview on the external monitor and in the VEGAS Pro
Video Preview window simultaneously.
When the checkbox is cleared, video is sent only to the external monitor.

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

8. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're ren-
dering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting from the
Project Properties dialog for previewing your project.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media Prop-
erties setting, but the Video Preview output is unrotated—you can use this setting
to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

9. Choose a setting from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list if you're

working with a stereoscopic 3D project and want to override the project settings
for previewing your stereoscopic 3D project on an external monitor.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444) and Setting up ste-
reoscopic 3D previews (p. 450)

OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394/DV

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and then click the Preview
Device tab.

2. From the DEVICE drop-down list, choose OHCI COMPLIANT IEEE 1394. The
Details box displays information about the device.

3. Use the CONFORM OUTPUT TO THE FOLLOWING FORMAT controls to adjust the
video to display properly on your external monitor.

a. Choose the desired format from the CONFORM OUTPUT TO THE

FOLLOWING FORMAT drop-down list.

b. Select a radio button to indicate when you want to adjust the output to the
selected format.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1126

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Setting Description

Select this radio button if you want to adjust the

Only when the
video only if the project settings do not match a
project does not
match any avail- standard format. For more information, see
able format
Setting project properties (p. 72)

Select this radio button if you want to adjust the

video output to the selected format whenever you
preview on the external monitor.
Use this setting when you do not have a preview
Always
device that supports your required project format.
For example, if you're creating a PAL project, but
you don't have a PAL monitor, you could use this
setting to preview on an NTSC monitor.

4. If audio and video do not play back in synchronization, drag the SYNC OFFSET
slider to specify a frame offset to restore synchronization.

NOTE This setting affects preview synchronization only. Audio and video syn-
chronization in your project is unaffected. Depending on your hardware setup,
you may need to adjust your settings. For example, you might need one setting
when previewing directly to a monitor and a slightly higher setting when pre-
viewing through a monitor that is connected to a deck.

5. Select the RECOMPRESS EDITED FRAMES checkbox if you want to recompress

edited frames in your project before previewing. When the checkbox is cleared,
edited frames will not be passed to your preview device.
If you're previewing a project that consists of DV media with no compositing or
transitions, the DV will be passed directly to your preview device. If, however
you'd added a 6-frame crossfade, the crossfade would be passed to the preview
device only if the checkbox is selected.

6. Select the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK

checkbox if you want to preview on the external monitor and in the VEGAS Pro
Video Preview window simultaneously.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1127

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

When the checkbox is cleared, video is sent only to the external monitor.

7. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're ren-
dering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting from the
Project Properties dialog for previewing your project.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media Prop-
erties setting, but the Video Preview output is unrotated—you can use this setting
to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

8. Choose a setting from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list if you're

working with a stereoscopic 3D project and want to override the project settings
for previewing your stereoscopic 3D project on an external monitor.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444) and Setting up ste-
reoscopic 3D previews (p. 450)

Windows Graphics Card

TIP You can also use the Windows Graphics Card device on a computer with a single
monitor. When you enable the external monitor, the video preview will fill your screen.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and then click the Preview
Device tab.

2. From the DEVICE drop-down list, choose WINDOWS GRAPHICS CARD. The
Details box displays information about the device.

3. From the DISPLAY ADAPTER drop-down list, choose the device where your pre-
view monitor is connected.
You can click the IDENTIFY DISPLAYS button to determine which display cor-
responds to each setting in the drop-down list. A number will be displayed on
each monitor.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1128

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

NOTE If the monitor number is displayed in red, the graphics card does not sup-
port 3D acceleration or acceleration has been turned off. You can go to Start |
Settings | Control Panel | Display | Settings | Advanced | Troubleshoot to turn
on acceleration if your adapter supports it.

4. Select the SCALE OUTPUT TO FIT DISPLAY checkbox if you want the video pre-
view to fill the display.

5. Select the APPLY DEINTERLACE FILTER checkbox if you're previewing interlaced

video on a noninterlaced display. This filter can reduce the artifacts you often see
on the edges of moving areas.

IMPORTANT The APPLY DEINTERLACE FILTER checkbox will be unavailable if

your video adapter does not support pixel shading.

6. If you want to adjust color reproduction for video previews, select the ADJUST
LEVELS FROM STUDIO RGB TO COMPUTER RGB check box.
If your source media conforms to studio RGB color (black=16 and white=235) and
you will be previewing on your computer's CRT or LCD monitor, this setting
expands the studio RGB range to 0 to 255 to conform to a computer display.

7. Select the WAIT FOR VERTICAL SYNC checkbox if you want to wait for the mon-
itor's vertical refresh timing before displaying frames. This setting can be used to
correct image tearing.

8. Select the OPTIMIZE GPU DISPLAY PERFORMANCE checkbox for most situ-
ations. You can clear the checkbox if you experience system, external monitor, or
video preview performance problems.

9. Select the RECOMPRESS EDITED FRAMES checkbox if you want to recompress

edited frames in your project before previewing. When the checkbox is cleared,
edited frames will not be passed to your preview device.

10. Select the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK
checkbox if you want to preview on the secondary monitor and in the VEGAS Pro
Video Preview window simultaneously.
When the checkbox is cleared, video is sent only to the secondary monitor.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1129

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

11. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're ren-
dering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting from the
Project Properties dialog for previewing your project.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media Prop-
erties setting, but the Video Preview output is unrotated—you can use this setting
to proof your project on an unrotated display.

For more information, see Creating rotated projects (p. 96)

12. Choose a setting from the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list if you're
working with a stereoscopic 3D project and want to override the project settings
for previewing your stereoscopic 3D project on an external monitor.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444) and Setting up ste-
reoscopic 3D previews (p. 450)

Stereoscopic 3D Windows Graphics Card

The WINDOWS GRAPHICS CARD setting will work with any graphics card that supports
OpenGL. In particular, if you are using LINE ALTERNATE or CHECKERBOARD mode, this
driver will provide correct output regardless of project resolution.

To support 120 Hz displays with active shutter glasses, use the LEFT AND RIGHT mode
with a graphics card that supports NVIDIA 3D Vision for Quadro.

When setting up a Quadro video card, please refer to the GeForce 3D Vision Quick Start
Guide that was included with your hardware for installation and setup information. For addi-
tional information, graphics card and emitter drivers, and for hardware requirements,
please see http://www.nvidia.com/object/quadro_pro_graphics_boards.html.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and then click the Preview
Device tab.

2. From the DEVICE drop-down list, choose WINDOWS GRAPHICS CARD. The
Details box displays information about the device.

3. From the DISPLAY ADAPTER drop-down list, choose your 3D display.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1130

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

You can click the IDENTIFY DISPLAYS button to determine which display cor-
responds to each setting in the drop-down list. A number will be displayed on
each monitor.

NOTE
● If the monitor number is displayed in red, the graphics card does not sup-
port 3D acceleration or acceleration has been turned off. You can go to
Start | Settings | Control Panel | Display | Settings | Advanced |
Troubleshoot to turn on acceleration if your adapter supports it.
● When using the STEREOSCOPIC 3D GRAPHICS CARD device with a
GeForce video card, you cannot preview stereoscopic 3D content and
edit simultaneously. Quadro video cards allow simultaneous preview and
editing.
● When using the STEREOSCOPIC 3D GRAPHICS CARD device with a
GeForce video card, you must use the primary display to preview ste-
reoscopic 3D content. You can click the IDENTIFY DISPLAYS button in
the Preview Device tab in the Preferences dialog to identify your primary
display.

4. Select the SCALE OUTPUT TO FIT DISPLAY checkbox if you want the video pre-
view to fill the display.

5. Select the APPLY DEINTERLACE FILTER checkbox if you're previewing interlaced

video on a noninterlaced display. This filter can reduce the artifacts you often see
on the edges of moving areas.

IMPORTANT The APPLY DEINTERLACE FILTER checkbox will be unavailable if

your video adapter does not support pixel shading.

6. If you want to adjust color reproduction for video previews, select the ADJUST
LEVELS FROM STUDIO RGB TO COMPUTER RGB check box.
If your source media conforms to studio RGB color (black=16 and white=235) and
you will be previewing on your computer's CRT or LCD monitor, this setting
expands the studio RGB range to 0 to 255 to conform to a computer display.

7. Select the WAIT FOR VERTICAL SYNC checkbox if you want to wait for the mon-
itor's vertical refresh timing before displaying frames.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1131

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

This setting can be used to correct image tearing.

8. Select the OPTIMIZE GPU DISPLAY PERFORMANCE checkbox for most situ-
ations. You can clear the checkbox if you experience system, external monitor, or
video preview performance problems.

9. Select the RECOMPRESS EDITED FRAMES check box.

10. Select the DISPLAY FRAMES IN VIDEO PREVIEW WINDOW DURING PLAYBACK
checkbox if you want to preview on the secondary monitor and in the VEGAS Pro
Video Preview window simultaneously.
When the checkbox is cleared, video is sent only to the secondary monitor.

11. Select the USE PROJECT OUTPUT ROTATION SETTING checkbox if you're ren-
dering a rotated project and want to use the OUTPUT ROTATION setting from the
Project Properties dialog for previewing your project.
When the checkbox is cleared, the media is rotated according to its Media Prop-
erties setting, but the Video Preview output is unrotated—you can use this setting
to proof your project on an unrotated display.

12. From the STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE drop-down list, choose the setting that you
want to use for previewing your project on a 3D monitor.
Choose USE PROJECT SETTINGS if you want to use the setting from the Video
tab in the Project Properties dialog, or choose another mode if you want to over-
ride the project setting when previewing on an external monitor.

For more information, see Stereoscopic 3D editing (p. 444) and Setting up ste-
reoscopic 3D previews (p. 450)

13. Select the SWAP LEFT/RIGHT checkbox if you need to swap the left- and right-
eye pictures. This setting is useful if you're using a line-alternate display that dis-
plays the right eye on top, if you're using magenta/green anaglyphic glasses, or to
create cross-eye free-view 3D.

14. Drag the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider if you experience image bleed-
through. For example, if you see right-eye images in your left eye, you can adjust
the CROSSTALK CANCELLATION slider to compensate.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1132

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

When your project's STEREOSCOPIC 3D MODE is set to SIDE BY SIDE,

TOP/BOTTOM, LINE ALTERNATE, or CHECKERBOARD mode, crosstalk can-
cellation is active only when the FULL-RESOLUTION RENDERING QUALITY drop-
down list is set to GOOD or BEST. When using anaglyphic modes, crosstalk can-
cellation is active for any quality level.

15. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

Preferences Preview Device Tab 1133

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Audio Tab
Use the Audio tab to specify playback and recording options.

How to open this tab:

In the main menu, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES | AUDIO tab.

Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to specify how to display

audio waveforms while recording:
● DON'T SHOW WAVEFORMS: No waveforms will be dis-
played on any tracks until the recording process has been
Waveform completed.
display while ● SHOW WAVEFORMS FOR A SINGLE TRACK: Selecting this
recording option will display waveforms only when a single track is
armed. If you arm multiple tracks, waveforms will not show.
● SHOW ALL WAVEFORMS: If you are arming multiple tracks
for record, all tracks will display the waveform during record-
ing.

Use the slider to change the default Peak Level settings. This value
Normalize
peak level will be used when you use the NORMALIZE event switch. For
(dB)
more information, see Applying switches to events (p. 359)

When this checkbox is selected, ACID loops are automatically

Import audio stretched to match the project tempo (specified on the Ruler tab of
at project the Project Properties dialog) when you add them to the timeline or
tempo preview from the Explorer window.

When the checkbox is cleared, tempo information is ignored.

Preferences Audio Tab 1134

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

When this checkbox is selected, VEGAS Pro records Broadcast

Wave Format (.bwf) metadata when recording .wav files. You can
view this information on the General tab of the Properties dialog for

an event. For more information, see Editing event properties (p.

Record to 370)
Broadcast
Included in the .bwf metadata is a TIME REFERENCE value. This
Wave Format
item tracks where on the timeline the file was recorded. When you
import a recorded .bwf file, it is added to the timeline at the same
location it was originally recorded.

The originator (VEGAS Pro) and originator reference (a unique ID

number), are also recorded.

Preferences Audio Tab 1135

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want pre-volume sends from tracks to

busses and assignable effects to respond to the track mute state.

When the checkbox is cleared, the pre-volume sends are not

affected by the mute state (in order to facilitate cue mixes).

For example, assume you have a project with one track and Bus A
that is routed to a hardware output. By default, the bus send is pre
volume, so the Master and Bus A will have the same output when
you play your project:

Track pre-
fader sends
listen to
mute

If you mute the track, the track's output to the Master bus is muted,
but the prefader send to Bus A continues playing (if the TRACK
PREFADER SENDS LISTEN TO MUTE checkbox is not selected):

If you switch the track send to post volume, the track's outputs to

Preferences Audio Tab 1136

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

the Master bus and Bus A are muted:

If you select the TRACK PREFADER SENDS LISTEN TO MUTE check-

box and switch the track send back to pre volume, the track's out-
puts to the Master bus and Bus A are muted:

Select this checkbox if you want to configure audio track sends to

Use legacy behave as they did in VEGAS Pro 7.0 and earlier. When the check-
track send box is selected, you can open projects created with earlier versions
gain of VEGAS Pro and be assured they will sound the same as they did
in earlier versions of VEGAS Pro.

Preferences Audio Tab 1137

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Enable sup-
port for 32- The 32-bit VST Bridge enables you to use 32-bit VST plug-ins in the
bit VST plug- 64-bit VEGAS Pro environment.
ins

Use this option to specify the location of the audio-editing applic-

ation you want to use with your VEGAS Pro projects.

This editor will be displayed in the Tools menu when you want to
open an event in a sound editor. If Sound Forge software is detec-
Preferred ted on your system, it automatically becomes the default editor. To
audio editor specify an audio editor, click the BROWSE button and browse for
the editor’s .exe file.

For more information, see Opening events in an audio editor (p.

367)

Select the USE DEFAULT METRONOME SOUNDS radio button to

use the default normal and accent sounds when using the met-
ronome, or click USE CUSTOM METRONOME SOUNDS and specify
the files you want to use in the NORMAL and ACCENT boxes.
● NORMAL: Specifies the sound file for the metronome when
the USE CUSTOM METRONOME SOUNDS radio button is
Metronome
selected.
● ACCENT: Specifies the accent sound file for the metronome
when the USE CUSTOM METRONOME SOUNDS radio but-
ton is selected.

For more information, see Using the metronome (p. 891)

Preferences Audio Tab 1138

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Select this checkbox of you want to automatically open loudness

Open editor log files in your default text editor when you choose TOOLS |
when new GENERATE LOUDNESS LOG.
loudness log
is generated For more information, see Loudness metering and logging (p.
995)

Click the DEFAULT ALL button to restore all Audio preferences to

Default All
the default settings.

Preferences Audio Tab 1139

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Audio Device Tab

Use the Audio Device tab to specify playback and recording options. To display this tab,
choose PREFERENCES from the Options menu, then click the Audio Device tab. Click the
ADVANCED button to access the advanced audio preferences.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1140

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Choose a driver type from the drop-down list.

● ASIO:

Allows you to choose a specific low-latency ASIO device

from the DEFAULT STEREO AND FRONT PLAYBACK
DEVICE drop-down list.
● Direct Sound Surround Mapper:

When you're working with a 5.1 surround project and a sur-

round-capable sound card, this setting uses the default
Windows audio device to send 5.1-surround audio to your
sound card.
● Microsoft Sound Mapper:

Uses the default Windows audio device for playback and

recording.
If your video preview device supports audio playback
Audio device (please see the DETAILS box on the Preview Device tab
type for device status), you can play your project audio
through your video preview device using the Microsoft
Sound Mapper:

1. Configure your video preview device on the Preview

Device tab in the Preferences dialog.

2. Select the Audio Device tab in the Preferences dia-

log and choose MICROSOFT SOUND MAPPER from
the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE drop-down list.

3. Select the USE AUDIO-CAPABLE PREVIEW DEVICE

check box.
When you preview your project with VIDEO

PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL MONITOR enabled,

audio will be routed through your video preview
device. When VIDEO PREVIEW ON EXTERNAL
MONITOR is not enabled, audio will play through
your default audio device.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1141

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

● WINDOWS CLASSIC WAVE DRIVER: Allows you to choose

a specific audio device from the DEFAULT STEREO AND
FRONT PLAYBACK DEVICE drop-down list.

Click the ADVANCED button to change settings for the selected

device.

Choose the device that you want to use for playing stereo sound
data and the front-left and -right channels of a 5.1 surround pro-
ject.

Selecting the Microsoft Sound Mapper allows the operating sys-

Default stereo tem to select an appropriate device to use for the current sound
and front play- data.
back device
NOTE If you have selected MICROSOFT SOUND MAPPER, you

will not be able to assign busses to different devices. For

more information, see Routing busses (p. 940)

Default rear
Choose the device that you want to use for playing the rear chan-
playback
nels of a 5.1 surround project.
device

Default center
Choose the device that you want to use for playing the center and
and LFE play-
low-frequency effect channels of a 5.1 surround project.
back device

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1142

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Drag the slider to adjust the amount of buffering that occurs

before starting playback.

The larger the number, the more buffering occurs during play-
back. This value must be as low as possible without gapping. To
set it, start at .25 and play back a typical song. Move some of the
Playback buf-
track faders. If the playback gaps at all, try increasing this slider in
fering
small increments until the gapping goes away.
(seconds)
If you simply cannot get playback to be free of gapping, you need
to either decrease the number of tracks you are trying to play sim-
ultaneously, install more RAM in your computer so you can
increase buffering, buy a faster access hard drive, or minimize the
number of DirectX plug-ins you are trying to use simultaneously.

Select this checkbox and drag the TRACK BUFFERING slider if

you want to adjust the amount of audio that is prerendered ahead
of the cursor position.

When the checkbox is selected, a separate processing thread is

Enable track used to render audio from tracks. On multiprocessor or multicore
buffering computers, a thread will be created for each logical processor, res-
ulting in improved track counts, improved performance with lower
latency, and faster audio rendering.

When the checkbox is cleared, a single processing thread is used

to render audio from tracks and busses.

Choose the device that you want to use for recording sound data.
Default audio
recording Selecting the MICROSOFT SOUND MAPPER allows the operating
device system to select an appropriate device to use for the current
sound data.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1143

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Automatically Select the checkbox to automatically compensate for offset

detect and off- between the time you initiate recording and when your sound
set for hard- card starts recording.
ware recording Clear the checkbox and drag the USER OFFSET slider to specify
latency an offset value (hold Ctrl while dragging for fine adjustment).

Clicking this button opens the Advanced Audio Preferences dia-

log.
Advanced
For more information, see Advanced Audio Configuration (p.
1145)

Click on the DEFAULT ALL button to restore all Audio preferences

Default All
to the default settings.

Advanced Audio Configuration

Use the Advanced Audio Configuration dialog to view information about and adjust set-
tings for audio device selected in the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE drop-down list on the Audio
Device tab of the Preferences dialog.

Microsoft Sound Mapper or Windows Classic Wave Driver

Item Description

This list contains all of the audio devices that are installed in your
Audio
computer. Select a device from the list to set the options below for
devices
that device.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1144

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

When checkbox is selected, the application will attempt to com-

pensate for inaccurate devices by interpolating the playback or
Interpolate
recording position. If you notice that your playback cursor is offset
position
from what you are hearing, enable this option for the playback
device.

If the position of playback or record does not match what you hear
after you enable INTERPOLATE POSITION, you can attempt to com-
Position bias pensate using the POSITION BIAS slider.
Moving this slider will offset the position forward or backward to
compensate for the inaccuracies of the device.

When this checkbox is selected, buffers will not be created prior to

Do not pre- starting playback. Some devices do not behave properly if this check-
roll buffers box is cleared.
before start-
ing playback If your audio stutters when you start playback try checking this
option.

Drag the slider to set the number of audio buffers that will be used.
Audio buf-
Adjusting this setting can decrease gapping or help you synchronize
fers
the input and output for record input monitoring.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate the buffer size
you want to use. Choose MME to use the PLAYBACK BUFFERING
setting on the Audio Device tab in the Preferences dialog.

For example, if you choose MME from the BUFFER SIZE drop-down,
Buffer size
set the AUDIO BUFFERS slider to 5, and set PLAYBACK BUFFERING
to 0.35 seconds, five 0.07-second buffers will be created.

If you choose 1024 from the BUFFER SIZE drop-down and set the
AUDIO BUFFERS slider to 5, five 1024-byte buffers will be created.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the priority that is
assigned to your audio buffers.
Priority
Increasing the buffers' priority can help you attain smoother play-
back, but it can also adversely affect other processes.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1145

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to be able to perform record input

Enable input monitoring using a wave driver. When the checkbox is cleared,
monitoring record input monitoring is not available. This setting has no effect on
standard audio playback.

ASIO
When an ASIO driver is selected, the Advanced Audio Configuration dialog displays inform-
ation about the settings for the selected driver. Click the CONFIGURE button to open the
driver manufacturer's configuration applet and adjust settings.

The lower portion of the dialog lists the device name and the name for each of the selected
ASIO device's ports. You can use these controls to customize input and output port names.
For more information, see Customizing ASIO port naming (p. 1147)

Customizing ASIO port naming

When you use an ASIO sound card, default names are displayed in VEGAS Pro for each of
the device's ports. If you have a simple setup, the default names probably work well
enough for you. However, if you have a complex setup, customizing the port names can
help you keep track of your routing with meaningful labels.

For example, if you have your control room monitors connected to outputs 1 and 2 on your
sound card, you could replace the default MAINOUT 1L and MAINOUT 1R port names with
CTRLRM LEFT and CTRLRM RIGHT. If your lead vocal microphone is connected to
MIC/INST 1, you could name the port LEADVOCAL, and a harmony microphone connected
to MIC/INST 1 could be labeled HARMONY.

1. From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES, and then click the Audio Device
tab.

2. Choose your ASIO audio interface from the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE drop-down list,
and then click APPLY.

3. Click the ADVANCED button to display the Advanced Audio Configuration dialog.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1146

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

4. If you want to edit the name of an input or output port, click the label in the NAME
column, and then press F2. You can then type a new name in the edit box.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1147

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

The name of the port as it will be displayed in VEGAS Pro.

Input pairs and outputs can be mono, multiple mono, or stereo.

● Mono : A single-channel input or output.

● Stereo : A pair of two mono inputs or outputs. For

example, you might connect the right and left outputs of
a stereo device to a stereo input.
● Multi mono: A grouping of two monaural channels as a
multichannel port. The content in the channels is from dis-
tinct monaural sources and not intended to be mixed as a
stereo signal. For example, you might connect two micro-
phones to separate inputs to record harmony vocals.
Name

After renaming the multiple mono port MIC/INSTIN 1/MIC

INSTIN 2 to GUITAR, the port is switched to stereo, and the left
and right channels are renamed GUITAR LEFT and GUITAR
RIGHT.

If you rename either of a stereo port's channels, the port is

switched to a multiple mono channel, and labels are updated
accordingly.
If you want to switch back to a stereo channel, you can rename

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1148

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

the Multi Mono channel.

NOTE
● ASIO port names are not saved per project.

● In stereo pairs, odd-numbered ports represent the left

channel; even-numbered ports represent the right
channel.
● Stereo pairs must consist of sequential channels. You
cannot make stereo pairs from arbitrary channels.
● If you want to restore a port's default name, delete the
label in the NAME column, and the INTERNAL NAME is
restored.
● If you want to restore all port names, click the RESET
NAMES button (or press Alt+N).

I/O Indicates whether the port is an input or output port.

Internal
The default name of the port.
Name

Channel Indicates whether a port is a stereo, mono, or multiple mono.

Preferences Audio Device Tab 1149

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

MIDI Tab
Use the MIDI tab to set options for using MIDI devices with VEGAS Pro. To display this tab,
choose PREFERENCES from the Options menu, then click the MIDI tab.

Item Description

Select the checkbox for each MIDI device that you want to use
Make these
devices available as a MIDI output for a control surface. For more information,
for MIDI output
see Using a control surface (p. 465)

Make these
Select the checkbox for each MIDI device that you want to be
devices available
available for a control surface.
for MIDI input

Default All Restores all MIDI preferences to the default settings.

Preferences MIDI Tab 1150

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

VST Effects Tab

From the OPTIONS menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the VST EFFECTS tab to
indicate where your VST plug-ins are installed.

Item Description

VST search Add, edit or remove paths to indicate where the application can find
folders VST effects.

Select the checkbox for each VST plug-in that you want to make
available to your VEGAS Pro projects. Clear a checkbox to exclude
Select VST the plug-in.
effects to be
available as NOTE When you use a VST plug-in, VEGAS Pro will lock it for the
audio plug-
remainder of your VEGAS Pro session. A lock is displayed next
ins
to the checkbox to indicate that the plug-in cannot be removed
until you close and restart the application.

Preferences VST Effects Tab 1151

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Editing Tab
From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the Editing tab to specify
options for editing on the VEGAS Pro timeline.

Item Description

When this checkbox is selected, the LOOP event switch will be

Enable looping enabled for new events.
on events by
default When this switch is enabled, events will repeat if you drag the end
of an event past the end of the media file.

When this checkbox is selected, the pitch of an audio event is pre-

served when you hold Ctrl and drag the end of the event to
change its duration. When the checkbox is cleared, audio events'
pitch will increase when you make an event shorter and will
decrease when you make an event longer.
Preserve pitch
TIP If you change this setting during an editing session, the
when stretch-
new setting will affect only media that you add to the timeline
ing audio
after changing the setting. To change the behavior for existing
events
events on the timeline, use the TIME STRETCH / PITCH SHIFT
controls on the Audio Event tab of the Event Properties dialog.

For more information, see Editing event properties (p. 370)

and Adjusting an event's length (p. 327)

When this checkbox is selected, cutting, copying, or deleting an

Cut, copy, and event will affect all events in the same group.
delete grouped
events For more information, see Cutting, copying, and pasting
events (p. 296) and Grouping events (p. 356)

Preferences Editing Tab 1152

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Item Description

When this checkbox is selected, edits to audio events (such as

event moves, trims, and ASR times) are not quantized to frame
Do not quant-
boundaries even if QUANTIZE TO FRAMES is enabled.
ize to frames
for audio-only
For more information, see Moving events (p. 280) Adjusting
edits
an event's length (p. 327) Event envelopes (p. 341) and Quantize
to frames (p. 293)

Collapse loop
When this checkbox is selected, the loop region is reset when no
region when no
data is selected. If the checkbox is cleared, the loop region will
time selection
retain the last selection.
is present

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the speed that will
be used for scrubbing the timeline with the JKL keys or with a mul-
JKL/shuttle timedia controller.
speed
For more information, see Scrubbing (p. 388) and Using a mul-
timedia controller (p. 508)

A rapid fade is applied to the edges of audio events to soften

potentially harsh transitions that can result from cutting data or
splitting events.
Quick fade
length for Enter a value in the box to change the length of the fade.
audio events
From the Options menu, choose QUICKFADE AUDIO EDITS to turn
quick fades on or off. When you turn off quick fades, the edges of
new events are not faded (existing fades are not removed).

New still image Enter a value in the edit box to specify the duration of events that
length are created when you add still images to the timeline.

Preferences Editing Tab 1153

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Item Description

Enter a value in the edit box to specify the length of time that is
inserted between events when you add tracks for a disc-at-once
Default time
audio CD from the Project Media window.
between CD
tracks
For more information, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book)
CD Burning (p. 1049)

Enter a value in the edit box to specify the length of the time that
will be played when you preview the cursor.

To preview the cursor, press the 0 key on the numeric keypad. A

Cursor preview
temporary selection is created (centered over the cursor) and
duration
playback begins automatically.

Cursor preview will loop if LOOP PLAYBACK is selected.

When this checkbox is selected, events will be overlapped when

you drag several media files to the timeline. When the checkbox is
cleared, events will be added end-to-end.
Automatically To change the amount of overlap between events, adjust the
overlap mul- AMOUNT setting in the CUT-TO-OVERLAP CONVERSION section
tiple selected of the dialog.
media when
added NOTE Automatic Crossfades must be turned on to use this fea-

ture. For more information, see Automatic crossfades (p.

289)

Preferences Editing Tab 1154

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Item Description

When you have two video events that are inserted back-to-back
with no transition (referred to as a cut), you can convert the cut to
a transition by dragging a transition from the Transitions window
and dropping it between the events. You can also right-click the
edge of either event, choose TRANSITION from the shortcut
menu, and choose a transition from the submenu.

The cut-to-overlap conversion settings will extend one or both of

the events so they overlap, allowing room for the transition.

Type a value in the edit box (or use the spin control) to specify the
amount by which you want the events to overlap after conversion.
Cut-to-overlap (This setting also controls the overlap applied when the
conversion AUTOMATICALLY OVERLAP MULTI-SELECTED MEDIA WHEN
ADDED checkbox is selected).

From the ALIGNMENT drop-down list, choose the method you

want to use to extend events:
● BEFORE CUT: The overlapping area will end at the cut/-
cursor.
● CENTERED ON CUT: The cut/cursor will mark the center
of the overlapping area.
● AFTER CUT: The overlapping area will start at the cut/-
cursor.

Preferences Editing Tab 1155

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Item Description

When this checkbox is selected, all envelope points within a time

selection are adjusted as you drag, and fades are applied to the
beginning and end of the selection (additional envelope points are
created as necessary):

Type a value in the edit box (or use the spin control) to specify the
length of the fades that will be created.
Time selection
envelope fades Choose a setting from the ALIGNMENT drop-down list to indicate
where the fade should be applied:
● OUTSIDE: Fades are applied before and after your time
selection.
● CENTERED: Fades are centered on the beginning and end
of the time selection.
● INSIDE: Fades are applied to the beginning and end of
your time selection.

Clear the TIME SELECTION ENVELOPE FADES checkbox if you

want to edit envelope points individually.

Preferences Editing Tab 1156

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Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to automatically crop video files /

still images to match your project's output frame proportions
when adding them to the timeline.

Automatically
crop video files
/ still images
Uncropped image in 16:9 widescreen project: pillarboxing is dis-
added to
played
timeline

Cropped image: the image fills the screen with no pillarboxing

Default All Restores the Editing page options to the default settings.

Preferences Editing Tab 1157

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Display Tab
From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the Display tab to specify
options for the appearance of the VEGAS Pro workspace.

Item Description

Use these controls to change the default colors used to display

tracks in your project.

Select a track from the TRACK drop-down list, and then click the
color swatch to display a color picker.

Track colors You can choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click

the button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or

click the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

When you click OK or APPLY, all tracks that used the selected
color are updated.

Use these controls to change the default colors used to display

envelopes in the timeline.

Choose an envelope type from the ENVELOPE TYPE drop-down

Envelope col- list and click the color swatch to display a color picker, where you
ors can choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click the

button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or click

the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Preferences Display Tab 1158

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Item Description

Use these controls to change the default colors used to snapping

indicators in the timeline.

Choose an snap indicator type from the SNAP TYPE drop-down

Snap colors list and click the color swatch to display a color picker, where you
can choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click the

button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or click

the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Drag the slider to adjust the color intensity of icons in the VEGAS
Icon color
Pro window. Drag to the left to decrease the color saturation, or
strength
drag to the right to increase it.

Use these control to set the background color of active toolbar

buttons. Click the color swatch to display a color picker, where
Button High- you can choose any color using the RGBA or HSLA controls. Click
light Color
the button to switch between RGB and HSL color modes, or
click the eyedropper to sample a color from your screen.

Select one of the Radio buttons below INTERFACE TYPE to

change the look of the VEGAS Pro interface. Click the APPLY or
OK button to finish. You will then get an alert stating that the
Interface Type application must be closed and restarted for the changes to take
affect. Click OK and restart VEGAS Pro.

To change your active window title bar colors, go to Control Panel

| Personalization | Window Color and Appearance.

Select this checkbox if you want the window docking area to hide
automatically when you're not using it. Hover over the bottom of
Automatically the VEGAS Pro window to show the window docking area.
hide docking
area NOTE If the DISPLAY TIMELINE AT BOTTOM OF MAIN
WINDOW checkbox is also selected, double-click the splitter
above the timeline to make the docking area visible again.

Preferences Display Tab 1159

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Item Description

Display
Select this checkbox if you want to display the timeline at the bot-
timeline at bot-
tom of the VEGAS Pro window. The Window Docking area will be
tom of main
displayed at the top of the window.
window

Select this checkbox if you want to display tabs at the top of

docked windows:

Position tabs at
top of docked
windows

When this checkbox is selected, windows will automatically be

docked when you drag them over other windows in the VEGAS
Pro workspace. You can hold the Ctrl key while dragging a win-
Allow floating dow to prevent it from docking.
windows to When this checkbox is cleared, windows will not dock unless you
dock hold the Ctrl key.

For more information, see Window Docking Area and Floating

Window Docks (p. 19)

This option swaps the foreground and background color of the

Reverse Event events. For instance, in audio events the track color is used for
Background the waveform display. With reverse on, this color is used for the
color background and the former background color is now the wave-
form color.

Use High DPI

scaling (where
available)

Preferences Display Tab 1160

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Default All Restores the Display page options to the default settings.

Preferences Display Tab 1161

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CD Settings Tab
From the Options menu, choose PREFERENCES and select the CD Settings tab to specify
to specify settings for burning and extracting audio from CDs.

Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to be notified prior to burning a

disc-at-once CD if anything about your CD project is against
strict Red Book standards.
Use strict Red
Book spe- For more information, see Disc-at-once (DAO or Red Book)
cification for CD Burning (p. 1049)
DAO validation These warnings are not critical, and in most cases you will not
write an unreadable disc if you proceed. Clearing this checkbox
will not suppress critical warnings that will result in an unread-
able disc.

Select this checkbox if you want to scan for wide SCSI CD

Include wide drives when you attempt to extract data from or burn CDs.
SCSI devices When the checkbox is cleared, VEGAS Pro will not scan for wide
when searching SCSI devices, which can increase compatibility with some USB
for drives device drivers that incorrectly identify themselves as wide
SCSI.

When the checkbox is cleared, an internal configuration file is

Skip drive data- used to determine your drive's capabilities.
base; autodetect
drive capabilities If you encounter problems burning discs, select this check box,
on startup and your drive will be scanned to determine its capabilities
when the application starts.

Select this checkbox if you want to use SPTI (SCSI Pass-

Use SPTI direct
Through Interface) to communicate with your CD burning drive.

Preferences CD Settings Tab 1162

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Item Description

Select this checkbox to use the legacy VEGAS Pro disc drivers
for burning discs.
Use legacy disc Clear this checkbox to use the Microsoft Image Mastering API
drivers (IMAPI) disc drivers to burn discs in VEGAS Pro software. This
can be useful if burning discs with the legacy disc drivers is not
working as you expect.

Default All Restores all CD preferences to the default settings.

Preferences CD Settings Tab 1163

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Sync Tab
Use the Preferences Sync tab to specify the options for setting up synchronization of other
applications and devices with VEGAS Pro. To access this tab, choose PREFERENCES from
the Options menu and click on the Sync tab.

Sync Settings
The following settings, available on the Sync tab, are used for setting up MIDI timecode
generation from the VEGAS Pro timeline.

Item Description

Generate MIDI
These settings are for setting up MIDI timecode generation from
Timecode set-
the VEGAS Pro timeline.
tings

This option specifies the MIDI device to which the MIDI timecode
Output device
will be sent. The MTC slave should also be set to this device.

This option specifies the frame rate for generating MIDI time-
Frame rate
code. The MTC slave must be set to the same frame rate.

Generate MIDI These settings are for setting up MIDI clock generation from the
Clock settings VEGAS Pro timeline.

This option specifies the MIDI device to which the MIDI clock will
Output device
be sent. The MIDI clock slave should also be set to this device.

Trigger from
These settings are for setting up MIDI timecode triggering from
MIDI Timecode
another application or external device.
settings

This option specifies the MIDI device from which the MIDI time-
Input device code will be received. The MTC master should also be set to this
device.

Preferences Sync Tab 1164

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

This option specifies the frame rate at which the MTC master
Frame rate
will send timecode to VEGAS Pro.

Clicking on this button opens the Advanced Sync properties dia-

Advanced
log for the selected MIDI settings.

Click on the DEFAULT ALL button to restore all Sync pref-

Default All
erences to the default settings.

MIDI Timecode Input - Advanced Settings

The MIDI Timecode Input dialog appears when you have clicked on the ADVANCED button
on the Sync tab of the Preferences dialog. This dialog contains advanced options for MIDI
timecode input. It is only displayed if a device is selected for MTC input on the previous dia-
log.

Item Description

When this option is selected, playback will continue for a spe-

cified period of time without chasing if timecode is lost for
Free-wheel for some reason. Enabling this option can compensate for infre-
time code loss quent losses in timecode. If losses in timecode are frequent,
troubleshooting should be done to find the cause of the prob-
lem.

Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the edit box to
Free-wheel slack specify the amount of time that timecode can be lost before the
time FREE-WHEEL PLAYBACK TIME starts. A longer time is more tol-
erant of breaks in the incoming timecode.

Free-wheel play- Specifies the amount of time that playback will continue after
back time the FREE-WHEEL SLACK TIME has been exceeded.

Preferences Sync Tab 1165

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Item Description

Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the edit box to
specify the amount of time it takes for to synchronize itself to
incoming timecode.

Synchronization On slower computers, this time should be set to approximately

delay time two seconds. On faster computers, it may be set lower.

NOTE Setting this value too low can sometimes result in aud-
ible pitch shifting at the start of playback.

If synchronization is consistently behind or ahead of your MTC

generator, enter a value in the box to adjust a synchronization
offset with quarter-frame accuracy.
● If synchronization is behind, set this value to a negative
Offset adjust
number. A setting of - 4 usually does the trick.
● If synchronization is ahead, set this value to a positive
number. A setting of +4 usually does the trick, though it
is rare that VEGAS Pro will sync ahead.

MIDI Timecode Output - Advanced Settings

This tab contains advanced options for MTC (MIDI timecode) input. It is only displayed if a
device is selected for MTC input on the Sync tab of the main Preferences dialog.

Preferences Sync Tab 1166

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

This option specifies when to send full-frame timecode messages

while Generate MIDI Timecode is enabled. Full-frame messages are
used by some external synchronizable audio devices to seek to a
proper location prior to actually starting synchronization. Tape-
Full-frame based recorders especially benefit from seeking to full-frame mes-
message sages because of the time it takes to move the transport to the
generation proper location. However, full-frame messages are ignored by some
devices and may actually cause unexpected behavior in other
devices.

Check your hardware documentation to find out if they support full-

frame messages.

MIDI Clock Output - Advanced Settings

The MIDI Clock Output dialog appears when you have clicked on the ADVANCED button on
the Sync tab of the Preferences dialog. This dialog contains advanced options for MIDI
Clock output. It is only displayed if a device is selected for MIDI Clock output on the pre-
vious dialog.

Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to send a Start command rather

Send Start than a Continue command when GENERATE MIDI CLOCK is enabled.
instead of
Continue When the checkbox is cleared, a Continue command is sent, as this
when begin- type of command allows the chasing device to start from a specific
ning play- time. However, some older sequencers that support MIDI clock
back chase do not support the Continue command and must start play-
back from the beginning every time.

This option specifies when to send Song Position Pointer messages

Song Pos-
while GENERATE MIDI CLOCK is enabled. Song Position Pointer mes-
ition Pointer
sages are used by MIDI applications and devices to seek to a proper
generation
location prior to actually starting synchronization.

Preferences Sync Tab 1167

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External Control & Automation Tab

Use the External Control & Automation tab to set up and customize control surfaces and
adjust settings for automation envelopes. To display this tab, choose PREFERENCES from
the Options menu, then click the External Control & Automation tab.

NOTE You can connect one Mackie Control Universal (with up to four Mackie Control
Universal Extenders), one Frontier TranzPort, on PreSonus FaderPort, and up to five
generic MIDI controllers.

TIP The selected device isn't enabled until you select the EXTERNAL CONTROL com-
mand from the Options menu.

Item Description

When recording automation, VEGAS Pro creates as many envelope

points or keyframes as possible to represent your control move-
Smooth and
ments.
thin auto-
mation data Select this checkbox if you want to reduce the number of envelope
after record-
points/keyframes after recording is finished. For more inform-
ing
ation, see Recording track envelope and keyframe automation (p.
1096)

Select this checkbox if you want controls to return to their default

values when set the track's automation recording mode to
AUTOMATION OFF. Automated effect parameters do not have
Set controls default settings and will retain their last-set values when you turn
to default val- automation off.
ues when
When the checkbox is cleared, controls will retain their last-set val-
automation is
ues when you turn automation off.
turned off

For more information, see Recording track envelope and key-

frame automation (p. 1096)

Preferences External Control & Automation Tab 1168

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Choose a device from each drop-down list, and then click ADD to
choose the control surfaces that will be available to VEGAS Pro.
Adding a device loads its default profile.

MORE INFORMATION
Available ● Using a control surface (p. 465)
devices
● Using a Mackie Control (p. 468)

● Using a Frontier TranzPort (p. 492)

● Using a PreSonus FaderPort (p. 495)

● Using a Generic Control Surface (p. 498)

Lists the control devices that you've added. If you want to cus-
Active control
tomize the behavior of the controller, double-click the device
devices
name.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default fade
type that will be used when you add volume and panning envel-
opes.
New audio
envelopes For more information, see Audio track automation (p. 1074)

This setting is used only when you create new envelopes. When
you add a point to an existing envelope, the new point always uses
the same fade type as the preceding envelope point.

Preferences External Control & Automation Tab 1169

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default fade
type for the fade-in and fade-out curves on audio event gain envel-
opes.
New audio
event gain For more information, see Event envelopes (p. 341)

This setting is used only for events that you place on the timeline
after changing the setting. Existing events will use the default fade
type that was active when they were added to the timeline.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default fade
type that will be used when you add audio effect automation envel-
opes.
New audio FX
automation For more information, see Automating audio effect parameters
envelopes (p. 1086)

This setting is used only when you create new envelopes. When
you add a point to an existing envelope, the new point always uses
the same fade type as the preceding envelope point.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default fade
type that will be used when you add fade-to-color, composite level,
transition progress, motion blur, supersampling, and event velocity
New video envelopes.
envelopes
This setting is used only when you create new envelopes. When
you add a point to an existing envelope, the new point always uses
the same fade type as the preceding envelope point.

Preferences External Control & Automation Tab 1170

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default fade
type for the fade-in and fade-out curves on video event opacity
envelopes.
New video
event opacity For more information, see Event envelopes (p. 341)

This setting is used only for events that you place on the timeline
after changing the setting. Existing events will use the default fade
type that was active when they were added to the timeline.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default key-
frame type that will be used when you add video track effect key-
frames.
New video FX
keyframes For more information, see Adding video effects (p. 513)

This setting is used only when you add new effects. When you add
a keyframe to an existing effect, the new keyframe is created as
the same type as the preceding keyframe.

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to set the default key-
frame type that will be used when you add track motion, parent
track motion, 3D track motion, or pan/crop keyframes.
New video
motion key- For more information, see Editing track motion (p. 416)3D com-
frames positing (p. 802) and Panning and cropping video events (p. 247)

This setting is used only when you add new effects. When you add
a keyframe to an existing effect, the new keyframe is created as
the same type as the preceding keyframe.

Track Motion
Type a value in the box (or use the spin control) to set the default
default
Smoothness value for track motion and 3D track motion keyframes.
smoothness

Preferences External Control & Automation Tab 1171

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Type a value in the box (or use the spin control) to set the default
Pan/Crop
default Smoothness value for event pan/crop keyframes. For more
smoothness
information, see Panning and cropping video events (p. 247)

Restores all External Control & Automation preferences to their

Default All
default settings.

Preferences External Control & Automation Tab 1172

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

File I/O Tab

Item Description

When this checkbox is selected, VEGAS Pro will recog-

Enable auto-detection of
nize 360° media when loaded and sets the project prop-
360° media
erties to 360° output automatically.

The .wav format is limited by a maximum file size of

Render large Wave files ~2GB (4GB if the ALLOW WAVE RENDERS UP TO 4 GB
as Wave64 checkbox is selected). When this checkbox is selected,
you can render larger files as Wave64 files.

Select this checkbox to enable support for WAV files up

Allow Wave renders up
to 4GB before switching to WAV64. Clear the checkbox
to 4 GB
for compatibility with other software applications.

When this checkbox is selected, VEGAS Pro will ignore

fact chunks in compressed WAV files.

Compressed WAV files use fact chunks to specify how

many actual samples are represented in the file. If a com-
pressed file is improperly authored, this may cause
Ignore fact chunk when some of the compressed data to not be loaded. If you
opening compressed suspect that not all sound data is being loaded from a
WAV files compressed file, try checking this option and reopening
the file.

TIP If you change the setting of this check box,

please delete any proxy (.sfap0) files associated with
compressed WAV files.

Select this checkbox if you want to import MXF files

Import MXF as mul- from XDCAM cameras and decks with multichannel
tichannel audio. When the checkbox is cleared, audio from MXF
files will be imported as stereo.

Preferences File I/O Tab 1173

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Select this checkbox if you want to pass through uned-

ited frames without recompression (smart render) for
the following formats:
● DV AVI

● DV MXF

● IMX MXF (IMX 24p MXF is not supported for no-

recompress rendering)
● XAVC Intra MXF

● HD MXF

● MPEG-2 (for files such as those from HDV and

DVD camcorders)
● Panasonic P2

Enable no-recompress For more information, see Working with P2

rendering Video (p. 116)
● XDCAM EX supports smart rendering across the
following formats:
● SP 18.3 Mbps CBR 1280x720p to/from
XDCAM EX and HDV HD-1
● SP 25 Mbps CBR 1440x1080i to/from
XDCAM EX, XDCAM HD, and HDV HD-2
● HQ 35 Mbps VBR 1440x1080 to/from
XDCAM EX and XDCAM HD
● HQ 35 Mbps VBR 1280x720p to/from
XDCAM EX
● HQ 35 Mbps VBR 1920x1080 to/from
XDCAM EX

In order to perform rendering without recompression,

the width, height, frame rate, field order, profile, level,

Preferences File I/O Tab 1174

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

and bit rate of the source media, project settings, and

rendering template must match. Frames that have
effects, compositing, or transitions applied will be
rendered.

Enable QSV Encoding This option turns on Intel Quick Sync Video (QSV) hard-
and Decoding (where ware acceleration for encoding and decoding, where
available) supported.

When checked, this enables the interoperability

Enable OpenCL/GL
between OpenGL and the Graphics Library for Intel
Interop for Intel GPU
GPUs for improved performance.

If this is enabled, VEGAS Pro will use a direct path to

Enable direct GPU import
import media using the GPU, which can improve per-
path
formance for GPU-accelerated formats.

Favor audio sync when This setting, when checked, prioritizes keeping audio in
playing Variable Frame sync over maintaining smooth video playback when play-
rate (VFR) media ing media with variable frame rates.

This checkbox switches hardware decoding of

AVC/HEVC media on and off, where applicable. Select
Enable Hardware Decod-
the Hardware Decoder (NVIDIA NVDEC or Intel QSV) to
ing for supported
use in the list box below. Hardware decoding works
formats
only, when the right hardware is available and the media
is suitable for hardware decoding.

Activates the new, experimental file reader for the .mkv

Enable MKV Reader Matroska video format, a free and open source video
(experimental)
format. For more information, see mastroska.org.

Preferences File I/O Tab 1175

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Specify the device you want to use for RAW processing.

This delinks the RAW processing accelerator from the
video processing accelerator and enables you to specify
the best option for both of them. This is especially use-
RAW Processor
ful to you if you have multiple GPUs in your system
because you can spread the processing work between
two of them. This gives you higher overall GPU util-
ization and access to more processing power.

In case you have technical problems with your VEGAS

Pro project you can get a log file when checking these
options. Even if you don't understand each and every
entry of the log file it can help you to identify prob-
lematic media files or plug-ins in your project. It is pos-
sible to log the loading process of plug-ins and media
Log Plugin load- files and the render process. To activate logging, switch
ing/Reads/Renders the according list box from OFF to BASIC, or for a more
detailed logging to DETAILED. The Log files can also be
helpful for the technical support to identify problems.

You find the Log files in c:\Users\[username]\Ap-

pData\Local\VEGAS Pro\22.0\, they are normal text files
with the file extension .log

Preferences File I/O Tab 1176

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Deprecated Features
Various older program functions and components, which have meanwhile been replaced
by more powerful ones, are hidden as standard in VEGAS. On this tab you can restore
these functions.

NOTE The features are still present in the program when loading older project that use
it but are hidden to prevent you from using it for new projects

Item Description

Allow legacy
Selecting this option will allow access to GPU rendering options for
GPU ren-
Main Concept AVC/AAC and Sony AVC/MVC renderers.
dering

Enable
ProType Shows the legacy ProType titler in the Generated Media window.
Titler

Enable the Enables use of the obsolete Apple "QuickTime for Windows" plugin
QuickTime for accessing old .mov files, when the plugin is present. This plugin
plugin must be installed separately and is not supplied by MAGIX.

Enable leg-
Shows the ancient Text generator in the Generated Media window.
acy text

Enable
Legacy sta- Shows the old Video Stabilizer in the Video FX window.
bilizer

Enable Shows the older AI feature which has been replaced with AI Smart
Smart Mask Mask 2.0.

Enable
Makes the XDCam Explorer window available in the View | Window
XDCam
menu.
Explorer

Preferences Deprecated Features 1177

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Item Description

Enable
Import DVD Makes the Import DVD Camcorder Disc entry available in the File
Camcorder menu.
Disc

Activate
Sony Wire- Makes the Sony Wireless Media Adapter functionality available in
less Media the Tools menu.
Adapter

Activate
Makes the Print to tape functionality available in the Tools menu.
Print to tape

Activate Cap-
Makes the Capture Video functionality available in the File menu.
ture video

Activate
Makes the VEGAS Pro Connect functionality available in the File
VEGAS Pro
menu.
Connect

AI Smart Mask
NOTE
This feature is no longer supported and may be removed from the application in a
future version.

To use this feature, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES to open the dialog.

In the DEPRECATED FEATURES tab, select the checkbox.

This plug-in analyzes a video frame and uses artificial intelligence technology to identify
objects in the frame that you can generate a mask for. You can filter out any objects below
your accepted confidence level. Once the tool has identified an object you want to create a
mask for, the tool will add a Bézier Masking plug-in to your FX chain with a mask already in
place. You can then fully adjust your new mask as you see fit.

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1 Identifying Objects and Adjusting Confidence Levels

1. Select the event on your timeline that holds the video clip you want to mask.

2. Move your timeline cursor to a frame that shows the object you want to mask so
you can see that frame in the Video Preview window.

3. Click the Video FX tab in the window docking area to bring that window forward.

4. Select Smart Mask from the list of plug-ins.

5. Click and drag the Smart Mask plug-in onto the selected video clip on the
timeline..

6. In the Video Event FX window, click the Analyze button. It will take a few moments
for the tool to analyze your video frame.
With analysis complete, you’ll see that the tool has identified any objects in your
frame that the algorithm recognizes. Rectangles bound all objects that have been
identified.

NOTE If you don’t see any rectangles, lower the Confidence slider until you see a rect-
angle around the object you want to mask. Raising the confidence level can filter out
rectangles that you’re not interested in and help you focus on the one you want.

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Show labels and confidence levels:

» Select the "Show Labels" checkbox in the Video Event FX window.

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This adds a label of what the AI thinks it has identified in the upper left of the bounding rect-
angle. It also displays the confidence level below the rectangle. For instance, a confidence
level of 59% indicates that the AI is 59% confident that it has correctly identified the object
as what it has labeled it.

2 Creating and Refining Masks

1. Click on the rectangle that encloses the object you want to mask. A mask line will
be added within the rectangle and around the object.

TIP
You can create up to five masks for a single video frame.
Click the first rectangle that you want to use to create a mask
Hold the Ctrl key as you click on up to four more rectangles. This creates mask
shapes around each of the selected objects.

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2. Use the Shape slider to change the accuracy of the mask shape around the
object.

3. Once the mask is adjusted, click the "Transfer" button. A Bézier mask plug-in will
be added to your FX chain.

4. Click the Bézier Masking button in the FX chain.

5. Use the Bézier masking tools to further adjust and refine the mask as needed.

For more information, see Bézier Masking (p. 613)

Working with the ProType Titler

The following topics will guide you through the fundamentals of creating text and titles
with the ProType Titler.

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NOTE
This feature is no longer supported and may be removed from the application in a
future version.

To use this feature, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES to open the dialog.

In the DEPRECATED FEATURES tab, select the ENABLE PROTYPE TITLER checkbox.

The ProType Titler Window

When you start the ProType Titler to create or edit a title, the following window is dis-
played.

The Workspace

The workspace is where you will add and edit text blocks.

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● You can double-click a blank area of the workspace to add a new text block.

● You can double-click a text block to edit its contents.

● To resize a text box, click it to select it, and then use the drag handles on the
edges of the box.

You can use the toolbars in the workspace to navigate text and characters, magnify or pan
the workspace, or preview your title.

The ProType Titler Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed at the top of the workspace and allows you to add, navigate, and
toggle aspect-ratio lock for text objects.

Button Description

Add New Click this button (or double-click the workspace) to add a new
Text Block text block.

Edit Text Click this button to edit the text in the selected text block.

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Button Description

Navigate Selects the parent object of whatever you have selected in the
to Parent workspace.

For example, if you have a single letter selected in a text block,

clicking this button would select the word that contains the
selected letter. Clicking again would select the line of text that
contains the selected word (if your text block contains multiple
lines of text). Clicking again would select the text block.

Navigate Selects the next-smallest object from whatever you have selec-
to Child ted in the workspace.

For example, if you have a text block selected, clicking this but-
ton would select the first line of text. Clicking again would select
the first word in the first line of text. Clicking again would select
the first letter of the first word.

Navigate Moves the selection to the previous item of the same type,
to Pre-
For example, if you have a word selected, clicking this button
vious Peer
would move the selection to the previous word. If you had a line
of text selected, clicking this button would move the selection to
the previous word.

Navigate Moves the selection to the next item of the same type,
to Next
For example, if you have a word selected, clicking this button
Peer
would move the selection to the next word. If you had a line of
text selected, clicking this button would move the selection to
the next word.

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Button Description

Lock Click to lock the aspect of text blocks in the workspace. When
Aspect
the button is selected ( ), adjusting the width or height of a
text block maintains the proportions of the text block. Hold Shift
while dragging the edge of a text block to resize it and change
its width and height independently.

When the button is not selected ( ), you can adjust the width
or height of a text block independently. Hold Shift to adjust
height and width proportionally.

The Magnification and View Toolbar

The magnification and view toolbar helps you get around in the workspace. You can zoom
in or out to see fine detail or the big picture, and you can center the frame in the work-
space.

TIP To zoom in or out quickly, hover over the portion of the workspace you want to
zoom and roll your mouse wheel forward or back.

Button Description

Center Double-click to center the frame in the workspace. Centering

Display helps you find your bearings when you've zoomed in and panned
the display.

Drag the icon to pan the workspace.

Zoom In Click to zoom in or out in the workspace, or click a bar in the zoom
indicator between the buttons to jump to a zoom level.
Zoom
Out

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The Preview Toolbar

You can use the preview toolbar to check your animated titles without leaving the ProType
Titler interface. Use the buttons in the preview toolbar to start, stop, and pause playback.
Your title is played in the workspace window.

NOTE The preview toolbar plays your title only. If you want to see your title composited
in your project, use the main Vegas Pro Video Preview window.

Button Description

Play from Plays your title from the beginning of the generated media
Start event.

Play from Begins playback from the cursor position in the automation
Cursor controller/timeline.

Pause Temporarily suspends playback.

Stop Halts playback.

The Automation Controller/Timeline

The automation controller/timeline is displayed at the bottom of the Video Media Gen-
erators dialog and is used to add and remove keyframes and control the parameters for
animated titles.

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Automate a parameter
You can use keyframes to automate text block and character properties to create dynamic
effects and animate text.

1. Navigate to the parameter you want to automate in the Properties pane.

2. Select the TOGGLE AUTOMATION button .

3. Click in the timeline to position the cursor where you want to create a keyframe.

4. Adjust the control to create a keyframe at the cursor position.

5. Create and edit keyframes as needed.

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Add a keyframe
In the automation controller/timeline, double-click the position where you want to add a
keyframe.

The new keyframe’s attributes are copied from the previous keyframe to allow you to make
subtle changes without recreating all your settings.

To keep the automation controller/timeline from becoming cluttered, you can expand and
collapse keyframe rows using the buttons on the left side of the window:

Click to expand a keyframe row.

Click to collapse an expanded keyframe row.

Click to maximize a keyframe row for detailed editing.

Click to minimize a keyframe row.

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Cascade keyframes
When you animate a character, word, or line of text, you can choose to cascade your key-
frame settings to sibling items to simplify creating complex animation.

For example, if you wanted to display a title that appears to drop in from above the screen,
you could keyframe the Y offset control to animate the first word, and then select the

TOGGLE CASCADE button to repeat that animation across the rest of the words in the
line.

Click the CASCADE PROPERTIES button to display the Cascade Settings dialog, where
you can adjust the duration of the cascade, the cascade range (whether you want to cas-
cade keyframes to subsequent lines in a text block, words in a line, or words in a text
block), and adjust the delay curve.

For an example of how you can use cascading, click here.

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Remove a keyframe
To remove a keyframe from an envelope, right-click it and choose Delete from the shortcut
menu.

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Bypass a keyframe
To bypass a keyframe row, click the button in the keyframe row. The automation set-
tings are ignored, but the envelope and keyframes are preserved.

To remove a row of keyframes, click the button in the keyframe row. The keyframes and
envelope are deleted.

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Change the curve between keyframes

To change the curve between keyframes, right-click an envelope point and choose a set-
ting from the shortcut menu:

Setting Description Looks

Like

Auto Allows the ProType Titler to choose the best

curve for the envelope line.

Manual Displays a handle that you can drag to adjust the

tension on the envelope line.

Split Displays a handle that you can drag to adjust the

Manual tension on each side of the envelope line.

Linear Parameters are interpolated in a linear path.

Fast Parameters are interpolated in a fast logarithmic

path.

Slow Parameters are interpolated in a slow logarithmic

path.

Smooth Parameters are interpolated along a smooth, nat-

ural curve.

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Apply a preset curve

You can use the ADD CURVE shortcut menu to add a curve quickly without creating envel-
ope points manually.

1. Automate a parameter.

2. Click in the timeline to position the cursor where you want the curve to begin.

3. Right-click and choose ADD CURVE from the shortcut menu. You can click a pre-
set name to see an animated example of the curve at the bottom of the menu.

4. Double-click a preset name to add it to the timeline.

5. Click to position the end of the curve. An event is placed on the timeline:

6. If you want to change the curve's settings, click the button at the right edge of
the event

7. If you want to delete a curve, right-click the event and choose DELETE from the
shortcut menu.

8. If you want to save a curve to the Curves menu, right-click the event and choose
SAVE AS CUSTOM CURVE from the shortcut menu.

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Edit a curve
If you want to save a curve to the Curves menu, right-click the event and choose
PROPERTIES from the shortcut menu, or click the button on the event:

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Move keyframes
After you've set your keyframes/envelope points, you may need to adjust their positions
along the timeline. Drag a keyframe to a new position to move it.

Hold Ctrl while clicking to select multiple keyframes.

Press and hold Shift before dragging to move an envelope point vertically without chan-
ging its horizontal position.

Press and hold Alt before dragging to move an envelope point horizontally without chan-
ging its vertical position.

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Expand or compress keyframes

If you want to change when animation occurs for a text block or expand/collapse key-
frames, you can adjust the text block's event in the automation controller/timeline.

The original set of keyframes.

After dragging in the right edge of the event, the keyframes are com-
pressed together.

If you drag the middle of the event, you can change when the keyframes
occur in the text block.

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Save a title as a collection

If you create a title you'd like to use again including text and keyframes you can save them
to a collection.

Click the SAVE TO COLLECTION button to save a keyframe row as a preset. The Col-
lection menu is displayed with an edit box so you can type a name for the collection.

To recall a preset, click the APPLY FAVORITE button and double-click a preset to add it
to the timeline in the automation controller/timeline.

TIP If you want to transfer your collections to another computer or share them with
another user, you can copy the XML files from your
C:\USERS\<USERNAME>\APPDATA\ROAMING\VEGAS\TITLER 1.0\COLLECTION folder
and save them to the same folder on the target computer.

Adding a Title to Your Project

Creating a title with the ProType Titler is simple:

1. If the Media Generators tab isn't already visible, choose MEDIA GENERATORS
from the View menu.

2. Select PROTYPE TITLER in the left pane of the Media Generators window.
The thumbnail images in the right pane represent each of the existing presets for
the selected generator. Hover your mouse pointer over a preset to see an anim-
ated example.

3. Drag a preset to the timeline to create an event. You can then add text blocks to
the generator, use the properties pane to edit the layout and appearance of your
text, and use keyframing to animate text.

Adding Text Blocks

Each text element in the workspace is called a text block.

You can add any number of text blocks to a generated-media event.

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1. To create a text block, click the button in the main toolbar, or double-click the
workspace where you want to add a text block.
A new text block containing "Sample Text" is created, and you can type new text
in the block.

2. When you're ready to leave text-edit mode, press Esc or click the top of the work-
space.

TIP
● You can also paste text from your clipboard. Plain text is added when you
paste; fonts and styles are not supported.
● If you need to use special symbols, right-click the workspace while in text-edit
mode and choose PUNCTUATION AND SYMBOLS from the shortcut menu. A
balloon is displayed where you can click a symbol to add it to your text block.
● To switch a text block between horizontal and vertical orientation, right-click
the workspace and choose VERTICAL ORIENTATION from the shortcut menu.

Selecting Text
Editing in ProType Titler is based on your selection: depending on what you have selected
in the workspace, different controls are displayed in the properties pane.

When a text block is selected, drag handles are displayed around the block:

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● You can drag the handles to resize the block, or you can drag from the center to
move the block in the workspace.
● When a text block is selected, you can use the properties pane to change the size,
position, or rotation of the text block; change the opacity of the text, apply a gradi-
ent fill, or apply blur, drop shadow, or glow effects; or adjust line spacing, selec-
tion, or create a path for your text to follow.
● You can use the buttons in the main toolbar to move the selection to parent/child
objects or navigate across objects at the same level. You can use this method to
select individual words, letters, or lines to edit.

When you double-click a text block, you enter text edit mode, and you can select text in
the same way you work with text in a word processor:

When text is selected in a text block, you can use the properties pane to change the
appearance of the type: you can change the font, size, and style, and spacing; choose the
fill and outline colors; or add strikethrough or underlining.

Editing Text Properties

When you select text in the workspace, you can use the Properties pane to change the
appearance of the text.

The Text page controls the appearance of the type. You can change:

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● the font, size, and style

● its vertical or horizontal spacing, or

● adjust the space between lines of text

The Style page controls the colors used to draw your text: you can adjust the fill color,
stroke (outline) color, background color, or add strikethrough or underlining.

The OpenType page displays controls used to configure OpenType fonts.

Text controls

Item Description

Font family Click the control and choose a font from the drop-down list to choose
the font used to draw the selected text.

Font size Drag the slider to adjust the size of the selected text.

The Font size slider is most useful for adjusting the relative sizes of
text items within a text block. When you select a text block, you can
use the Transform page to scale each text block.

Font style Click the control and choose a setting from the drop-down list to indic-
ate whether you want to draw normal or italic text.

Font Click the control and choose a setting from the drop-down list to
weight adjust the thickness of the selected text.

Tracking Drag the slider to set the amount of horizontal space between text
characters. Drag right to increase spacing, or drag left to decrease
spacing (low settings will cause characters to overlap or to appear in
reverse reading order)

Slant Drag the slider to apply a slant to the selected text: drag right to apply
a forward slant, or drag left to apply a backward slant.

Line align- Click the control and choose a setting from the drop-down list to indic-
ment ate whether you want to align the selected text to the right side
(near), center, or left side (far) of the text block.

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Item Description

Line margin Drag the slider to set the amount of vertical space lines of selected
text. Drag right to increase spacing, or drag left to decrease spacing
(low settings will cause lines to overlap or to appear in reverse order)

Style controls

Item Description

Click the button to expand controls for adjusting fill and stroke,
Style
or click the button to hide the controls.

Click the color swatch to display a color picker that you can use to
Fill color change the color and transparency used to draw the selected
text.

Click the color swatch to display a color picker that you can use to
Fill color change the color and transparency used to outline the selected
text.

Drag the slider to adjust the width of the outline applied to the
Fill color
selected text.

Click the control and choose a setting from the drop-down list to
Fill color indicate whether the outline should be drawn over or beneath the
selected text.

Select the checkbox if you want to apply a colored background to

Background the selected characters. Click the button to choose a back-

ground color, or click the button to hide the controls.

Click the color swatch to display a color picker that you can use to
Color change the background color (and transparency) displayed
behind the selected text

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Item Description

Select the checkbox if you want to draw a line through the selec-

Strikethrough ted characters. Click the button to choose a strikethrough color

and line thickness, or click the button to hide the controls.

Click the color swatch to display a color picker that you can use to
Color change the color and transparency used to draw the
strikethrough line.

Thickness Drag the slider to adjust the width of the strikethrough line.

Select the checkbox if you want to draw a line below the selected

Underline characters. Click the button to choose an underline color and

line thickness, or click the button to hide the controls.

Click the color swatch to display a color picker that you can use to
Color
change the color and transparency used to draw the underline.

Thickness Drag the slider to adjust the width of the underline.

OpenType controls

If you're using an OpenType font, you can use the controls on the OpenType tab to adjust
settings for the font. Adjusting these settings has no effect when using non-OpenType
fonts.

For more information about OpenType fonts, please refer to OpenType Font Features on
the MSDN site.

EXAMPLE For a sample OpenType font pack, please click here.

Editing Word and Character Properties

When you select a word or character in the workspace, you can use the Properties pane to
edit settings for the each word or character independently of the text block.

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Start by clicking a text block to select it. Then you can click the NAVIGATE TO CHILD ,
NAVIGATE TO PREVIOUS PEER , and NAVIGATE TO NEXT PEER buttons in the main
toolbar to select individual words or characters.

The Transform page controls the position and size of the selected word or character: you
can change the center or rotation of the word or character, offset its position, adjust its
horizontal or vertical scaling, or apply a horizontal or vertical slant (shear).

The Effects page controls the look of your word or character: you can change the opacity
of the text, apply a gradient fill, or apply blur, drop shadow, or glow effects.

Transform controls

Item Description

Center Each character has a center point that is used for alignment and rota-
tion:

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate how you want to
align a character relative to the center point.

Rotation If you want to rotate a character about its center point, drag the slider,
or double-click the slider handle to reset the rotation to zero.

Offset To move a character from its original position, drag the X and Y sliders
or double-click the label and type a new value in the box.

Scale To resize a character, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click the label
and type a new value in the box.

TIP You can also drag the handles on the character to resize it.

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Item Description

Shear To slant or skew a character, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click

the label and type a new value in the box.

Effects controls

Item Description

Opacity Drag the slider to adjust the opacity/transparency of the selected char-
acter.

Gradient Select this checkbox if you want to apply a gradient to the selected
fill character.

You can use the gradient bar below the checkbox to choose the range
of the gradient and the colors used.

Drag the points in or out to change the starting and ending point of the
gradient.

To change the gradient colors, click the points to display a color

picker.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Gradients menu

where you can preview and apply gradient presets. Click a preset
name to see an example of the gradient at the bottom of the Gradients
menu. Double-click a preset to apply its settings.

Gaussian If you want to apply a blur to the selected character, select this check
Blur
box. To adjust the blur, click the button to use the Horizontal blur
and Vertical blur sliders.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where
you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see
an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-
click a preset to apply its settings.

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Item Description

Glow If you want to apply a glow to the selected character, select this check
box.

To adjust the position and appearance of the glow, click the button
to use the Glow amount and Glow color controls.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where
you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see
an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-
click a preset to apply its settings.

Drop If you want to apply a drop shadow to the selected character, select
Shadow this check box.

To adjust the position and appearance of the shadow, click the but-
ton to use the Blur amount, Horizontal offset, Vertical offset, and
Shadow color controls.

TIP Using a white or custom-color background is useful when

adjusting drop-shadow colors. You can use the Preview Properties
controls to adjust the color of the workspace background.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where
you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see
an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-
click a preset to apply its settings.

Editing Text Block Properties

When you select a text block in the workspace, you can use the Properties pane to edit set-
tings for the text block.

The Transform page controls the position and size of the text block: you can change the
center or rotation of the text block, offset its position, adjust its horizontal or vertical scal-
ing, or apply a horizontal or vertical slant (shear).

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The Effects page controls the look of your text: you can change the opacity of the text,
apply a gradient fill, or apply blur, drop shadow, or glow effects.

The Layout page controls the layout of text within the text block: you can adjust spacing,
selection, or create a path for your text to follow.

Transform controls

Item Description

Center Each text block has a center point that is used for alignment and rota-
tion:

Choose a setting from the drop-down list to indicate how you want to
align your text block relative to the center point.

Rotation If you want to rotate your text block about its center point, drag the
slider, or double-click the slider handle to reset the rotation to zero.

Offset To move a text block from its original position, drag the X and Y sliders
or double-click the label and type a new value in the box.

Scale To resize a text block, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click the label
and type a new value in the box.

TIP You can also drag the handles on the text block to resize it.

Shear To slant or skew a text block, drag the X and Y sliders or double-click
the label and type a new value in the box.

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Effects controls

Item Description

Opacity Drag the slider to adjust the opacity/transparency of the selected text
block.

Gradient Select this checkbox if you want to apply a gradient to the selected
fill text.

You can use the gradient bar below the checkbox to choose the range
of the gradient and the colors used.

Drag the points in or out to change the starting and ending point of the
gradient.

To change the gradient colors, click the points to display a color

picker.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Gradients menu

where you can preview and apply gradient presets. Click a preset
name to see an example of the gradient at the bottom of the Gradients
menu. Double-click a preset to apply its settings.

Gaussian If you want to apply a blur to your text, select this check box. To adjust
Blur
the blur, click the button to use the Horizontal blur and Vertical
blur sliders.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where
you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see
an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-
click a preset to apply its settings.

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Item Description

Glow If you want to apply a glow to your text, select this check box.

To adjust the position and appearance of the glow, click the button
to use the Glow amount and Glow color controls.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where
you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see
an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-
click a preset to apply its settings.

Drop If you want to apply a drop shadow to your text, select this check box.
Shadow
To adjust the position and appearance of the shadow, click the but-
ton to use the Blur amount, Horizontal offset, Vertical offset, and
Shadow color controls.

TIP Using a white or custom-color background is useful when

adjusting drop-shadow colors. You can use the Preview Properties
controls to adjust the color of the workspace background.

Click the Apply Favorite button to display the Filters menu where
you can preview and apply effect presets. Click a preset name to see
an example of the effect at the bottom of the Filters menu. Double-
click a preset to apply its settings.

Layout controls

Item Description

Vertical ori- Select or clear this checkbox to switch a text block between hori-
entation zontal and vertical orientation.

Tracking Drag this slider to increase or decrease the spacing between char-
acters.

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Item Description

Line spacing When you have multiline text blocks, drag this slider to increase or
decrease the space between lines.

Selection If you want to restrict your edits to a portion of a text block, you can
drag either end of the selection bar to adjust the selection length, or
drag the selection bar to move the selection within the text block.

Selection If you're using the Selection control to apply edits to a portion of a

type text block, choose a setting from the Selection type drop-down list
to indicate whether you want to select lines of text, words, or char-
acters.

Fade selec- Select this checkbox if you want to feather the edges of the selec-
tion tion, or clear the checkbox if you want to create a hard-edged selec-
tion.

Path Select this checkbox if you want to draw a path for your text to fol-
low. When the checkbox is selected, a path is added to the work-
space. You can edit the curve in the same way you create Bezier
curves:

Position on When the Path checkbox is selected, you can drag this slider to
path move your text left or right along the path you create.

Wrap Select this checkbox if you want text to wrap around your path. For
around example, if you automate the Position on path setting, you can cre-
ate a repeating, scrolling marquee.

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Editing Preview Properties

When you click an area of the workspace that does not contain text, you can use the Prop-
erties pane to edit settings for the color of the workspace background and adjust safe
areas.

Background

Item Description

Background Click the label and choose a setting from the drop-down list to
choose whether you want to display the workspace in black, white,
or a custom color.

NOTE Note that the background color is not rendered with your
text. The background simply allows you to see your text clearly.

EXAMPLE A white or custom-color background is useful when

creating dark text or adjusting drop-shadows on text blocks or
characters. Similarly, a dark background is useful when working
with light-colored text.

Custom color When you choose Custom from the Background drop-down list,
you can click the color swatch to display a color picker you can use
to set the color of the workspace background.

Safe area

Drag the slider to adjust the size of the safe area guides in the workspace.

Editing Default Text Properties

When you click an area of the workspace that does not contain text, you can use the Prop-
erties pane to set the default font family and size that will be used when you add text
blocks.

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TIP If you want to edit properties for existing text, double-click the text block to enter
Text Edit mode, and then use the Properties pane to edit the properties for the selected
text.

1. Click an area of the workspace that does not contain text (if you're in Text Edit
mode, press Esc).

2. Click the Defaults tab in the Preview Properties pane.

3. Click the FONT FAMILY control and choose a font from the drop-down list.

4. Drag the FONT SIZE slider to adjust default text size.

ProType Titler Tips and Techniques

The following topics will show you how to create several types of titles with the ProType
Titler.

Creating Scrolling Credits

The ProType Titler is incredibly powerful and flexible, but this help topic will show you how
to quickly create a vertically scrolling credit roll.

1. Add the ProType Titler to a track.

2. Double-click the workspace to add a text block.

3. Type your text or credits, placing one name per line.

TIP You can also paste text from your clipboard. Plain text is added when you
paste; fonts and styles are not supported.

4. Press Esc to exit text-edit mode. You can use the properties pane to edit text prop-
erties, character properties, and text block properties to refine the appearance of
your credit roll.

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TIP A credit roll will create a text block that's much taller than your workspace.
Use the magnification and view toolbar to change the magnification level of
the workspace.

5. In the automation controller/timeline, click to position the cursor at the beginning

of the timeline.

6. Drag your text block to the bottom of the frame in the workspace.

7. Click the Transform tab in the Text Block Properties pane.

8. Select the TOGGLE AUTOMATION button next to the OFFSET Y control.

9. In the automation controller/timeline, click to position the cursor at the end of the
timeline.

10. Drag the OFFSET Y slider (or drag the text block in the workspace) to move the
text block to the top of the frame. A keyframe is created.

11. You can use the preview toolbar to preview your credit roll.

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Creating a Crawling Title

This help topic will show you how to quickly create text that scrolls from right to left across
the screen.

1. Add the ProType Titler to a track.

2. Double-click the workspace to add a text block.

3. Type your text or credits, placing all your text on one line.

TIP You can also paste text from your clipboard. Plain text is added
when you paste; fonts and styles are not supported.

4. Press Esc to exit text-edit mode. You can use the properties pane to edit text prop-
erties, character properties, and text block properties to refine the appearance of
your crawler.

TIP A crawling title will create a text block that's much wider than your
workspace. Use the magnification and view toolbar to change the mag-
nification level of the workspace.

5. In the automation controller/timeline, click to position the cursor at the beginning

of the timeline.

6. Drag your text block to the right edge of the frame in the workspace.

7. Click the Transform tab in the Text Block Properties pane.

8. Select the TOGGLE AUTOMATION button next to the OFFSET X control.

9. In the automation controller/timeline, click to position the cursor at the end of the
timeline.

10. Drag the OFFSET X slider (or drag the text block in the workspace) to move the
text block to the left side of the frame. A keyframe is created.

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11. You can use the preview toolbar to preview your crawling title.

Animating Text with Cascading Keyframes

Cascading keyframes simplify animation by allowing you to animate a character, word, or

line of text and then apply those keyframe settings to sibling items in the text block.

For this example, let's create a text block that says "This is sample text" and have each
word drop in from the top of the frame.

1. Add the ProType Titler to a track.

2. Double-click the workspace to add a text block.

3. Type "This is sample text."

4. Press Esc to exit text-edit mode.

4. Drag the text block so it's above the video frame.

5. With the text block selected, click NAVIGATE TO CHILD to select the word
"This."

6. Click the Transform tab in the Text Block Properties pane.

7. Select the TOGGLE AUTOMATION button next to the Y Offset control.

8. In the automation controller/timeline, click to position the cursor near the 3-

second mark.

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9. Drag the Y Offset slider (or drag the selected word "This" in the workspace) to
move the word into the frame. A keyframe is created.

10. In the automation controller/timeline, select the TOGGLE CASCADE button in

the keyframe row "Word: This".

11. You can use the preview toolbar to preview your animated text.

Placing Text Along a Curve

This help topic will show you how to create text that follows a curve.

1. Add the ProType Titler to a track.

2. Double-click the workspace to add a text block.

3. Type your text.

4. Press Esc to exit text-edit mode. You can use the properties pane to edit text prop-
erties, character properties, and text block properties to refine the appearance of
your credit roll.

5. Click the Layout tab in the Text Block Properties pane.

6. Select the PATH check box. A simple curve is applied to your text:

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7. If you want to modify the curve, you can add or remove points or change the
curve at each envelope point.
● Double-click the curve to add a new point:

● Drag a point to change its position on the curve.

● Drag the handles on either side of a control point to change the curve:

● To delete a control point, right-click it and choose DELETE from the shortcut
menu.

8. If you want to change the position of the text on the curve, you can drag the
POSITION ON PATH slider. If you want to animate the text along the path, you can

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select the TOGGLE AUTOMATION button next to the POSITION ON PATH

slider and use the Automation Controller to add keyframes.

Using Vegas Pro Connect

Collaboration on video productions

Vegas Pro Connect makes it easier for you to edit and collaborate on VEGAS Pro projects.

When you're working with VEGAS Pro, you can use Vegas Pro Connect to remotely control
the Vegas transport functions, seek and scrub the timeline, and add markers.

When you're on the go, you can use Vegas Pro Connect to bring your projects with you for
review on your iPad.

NOTE
This feature is no longer supported and may be removed from the application in a
future version.

To use this feature, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES to open the dialog.

In the DEPRECATED FEATURES tab, select the checkbox.

Using VEGAS Pro Connect to review projects on your iPad

Who says you can't take it with you? Choose FILE | PREPARE FOR VEGAS PRO CONNECT
to prepare the current project to be synchronized with your iPad.

A prepared project is a representation of your project at the specific point when you pre-
pared it. VEGAS Pro renders a file that contains your current edits and adds it to a list of
projects that you can choose to synchronize when Vegas Pro Connect is connected. After
you sync, you can view your project on your device and add markers that will be syn-
chronized with your VEGAS Pro project the next time you connect.

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Preparing projects for Vegas Pro Connect

When you prepare a project, VEGAS Pro renders a file that can be played on your iPad, cre-
ates a thumbnail image, and prepares metadata — such as markers — to be displayed on
your device.

Each time you make changes to a project, you'll need to prepare it so Vegas Pro Connect
can determine whether the project needs to be synchronized.

1. Choose FILE | PREPARE FOR VEGAS PRO CONNECT.

The VEGAS PRO CONNECT FILES LOCATION box displays the path to the folder
that will be used for the files that will be synchronized with your iPad.

2. Select the PREPARE METADATA ONLY checkbox if you want to prepare only
metadata. This method allows you to update markers quickly without rendering or
transferring the media file.

3. Select a radio button to choose the portion of your project that you want to pre-
pare.
● Select the PREPARE ENTIRE PROJECT radio button if you want to save the
full project timeline.
● Select the PREPARE LOOP REGION ONLY radio button if you want to save
only the portion of the project that is contained within the loop region. LOOP
PLAYBACK does not need to be selected for this option to work.
● The PREPARE LOOP REGION ONLY radio button is available only if you've
created a time selection in the timeline.

TIP When PREPARE LOOP REGION ONLY is selected, VEGAS Pro will
render only the frames contained within the loop region. If you change
your selection and prepare the project again, the Review Projects section
of Vegas Pro Connect will contain a separate entry for each selection
range.

● Select the PREPARE PREVIOUS LOOP REGION radio button and choose a
setting from the drop-down list to save a portion of the project that you've

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previously prepared. LOOP PLAYBACK does not need to be selected for this
option to work.

4. Click OK to start rendering your project and add it to the Review Projects queue
on your iPad.

Transferring projects to your iPad

1. On your iPad, tap the connection you want to use. After you connect, your queued
project will be transferred to your device and displayed in the Review Projects list.

2. The Review Projects list at the bottom of Vegas Pro Connect displays a list of pro-
jects that are available for mobile review.
● If a file has not been synchronized with your iPad, TAP TO SYNC FILE is dis-
played, Tap the file's thumbnail image to synchronize it.

●
If a file has been synchronized, a check mark is displayed in the file's
thumbnail image.

●
If a file has been updated since it was synchronized, a resync icon is dis-
played in the file's thumbnail image. Tap TAP TO RESYNC to transfer the
latest version to your iPad.

●
Tap REMOVE FILE to remove a file from your iPad.
● Tap a synchronized project's thumbnail image to start playback.

Reviewing projects on your iPad

Tap a synchronized project's thumbnail image to start playback.

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Tap the buttons in Vegas Pro Connect to undo/redo edits, control playback, or add mark-
ers to the VEGAS Pro timeline.

The Markers list displays all markers in your project. Markers that were added in Vegas Pro

Connect include a DELETE button that you can tap to remove the marker.

Markers that were added in VEGAS Pro cannot be deleted in Vegas Pro Connect.

Item Description

Timecode Displays the timecode value at the cursor position.

Represents the length of your project. Drag the handle to move the
Trackbar
cursor forward or backward in your project.

Previous
Tap PREVIOUS MARKER to move the cursor to the previous
Marker
marker.

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Item Description

Previous
Frame Tap PREVIOUS FRAME to move the cursor to the previous frame.

Play
Tap PLAY to start playback from the cursor position.

Next Frame
Tap NEXT FRAME to move the cursor to the next frame.

Next
Marker Tap NEXT MARKER to move the cursor to the next marker.

Tap a marker type to add a marker at the current cursor position.

CUSTOM: Adds a marker and prompts you to type a custom label.

CHECK COLOR: Adds a marker labeled "Check Color."

CHECK MIX: Adds a marker labeled "Check Mix."

SFX: Adds a marker labeled "SFX."

EDIT: Adds a marker labeled "Edit."

Markers
NOTE Markers that you add in Vegas Pro Connect will be dis-

played in blue until you sync your project. When Vegas Pro Con-

nect is connected ( ), you can tap HOME to sync the markers on

your device with your VEGAS Pro project. If you're reviewing your
project on the go, your markers will be synced the next time you
start Vegas Pro while Vegas Pro Connect is connected.

Managing prepared clips

Choose FILE | MANAGE VEGAS PRO CONNECT CLIPS to display the Manage Vegas Pro
Connect Clips dialog.

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This dialog displays each of the clips that you've prepared for Vegas Pro Connect. You can
see the clip's thumbnail image, the portion of the project that was prepared, and the last
time the clip was prepared.

Click DELETE ALL CLIPS or DELETE SELECTED CLIPS to remove previously prepared
Vegas Pro Connect clips from your computer.

Setting up VEGAS Pro Connect

Vegas Pro Connect saves connection profiles that allow you to use the app with a number
of computers running VEGAS Pro.

1. Enable the Vegas Pro Connect host on each computer you want to connect to.
a. In VEGAS Pro, verify OPTIONS | EXTERNAL CONTROL is enabled.

b. In VEGAS Pro, choose OPTIONS | PREFERENCES and select the External

Control & Automation tab.

c. Choose VEGAS PRO CONNECT from the AVAILABLE DEVICES drop-down

list and click the ADD button.

d. Double-click the VEGAS PRO CONNECT entry in the Active control devices
list.

e. The Configure Vegas Pro Connect dialog displays a list of possible

addresses for your computer and the port that will be used to communicate
with your computer.
Record the host addresses and port number. You'll need them when you set
up Vegas Pro Connect.

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IMPORTANT Your iPad and the computer running VEGAS Pro must be
connected to the same network.

f. Click OK to close the Configure Vegas Pro Connect and Preferences dialogs.

2. Set up a connection in Vegas Pro Connect:

a. Start Vegas Pro Connect on your iPad.

b. Tap SET UP VEGAS PRO CONNECTION to create a new connection, or tap

to edit an existing connection.

c. Use the Set Up VEGAS Pro Connection settings to name your connection
and specify the address and port of the computer you noted in step 1e
above.

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

d. Tap TRY IT! to test the connection.

If the connection is successful, SUCCESS is displayed.
If the connection fails, you may need to adjust your network or connection
settings.

For more information, see "Troubleshooting_remote_connections."

e. Tap SAVE.

Stabilizing video clips (legacy plug-in)

NOTE This is the old stabilization plugin help. The plug-in stays in the software to keep
compatibility with projects created in older versions of VEGAS Pro. We recommend you
to use the new improved VIDEO STABILIZATION plugin

NOTE
This feature is no longer supported and may be removed from the application in a
future version.

To use this feature, click OPTIONS | PREFERENCES to open the dialog.

In the DEPRECATED FEATURES tab, select the checkbox.

You can apply the STABILIZE plug-in to analyze and remove camera shake from video.

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1. In the Project Media window, select the video you want to stabilize.

TIP If you're using only a portion of a longer media file, you can use the Trim-
mer window to create a subclip that contains only the portion of the media that
is used in your project. Stabilizing subclip requires less processing than sta-

bilizing a full media file. For more information, see Using the Trimmer (p.
314)

2. From the Tools menu, choose VIDEO, and then choose MEDIA FX (or right-click a
media file in the Project Media window and choose MEDIA FX from the shortcut
menu). The Plug-In Chooser is displayed.

3. In the Plug-In Chooser, select the Stabilize plug-in and click the ADD button. The
Media FX dialog displays the Stabilize plug-in.

4. Choose a setting from the PRESET drop-down or adjust the controls in the dialog
as needed:

Item Description

Drag this slider to adjust the amount of shake (left/right

and up/down motion) detection.
Pan smooth- In most cases, the preset's default setting will provide a
ing good balance of accuracy and processing power. Increas-
ing the setting can produce more accurate stabilization if
needed.

Drag this slider to adjust the amount of tilt and zoom detec-
tion.
Stabilization In most cases, the preset's default setting will provide a
amount good balance of accuracy and processing power. Increas-
ing the setting can produce more accurate stabilization if
needed.

Select this checkbox if you want to correct skewing (dur-

Rolling shut-
ing horizontal motion) or stretching/compression (during
ter correction
vertical motion) due to rolling shutter.

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5. Click APPLY. The video is analyzed, and stabilization is applied to your media.

TIP To remove stabilization, right-click an media file in the Project Media and choose
MEDIA FX from the shortcut menu to display the Media FX dialog. You can then bypass
the Stabilize plug-in or remove it from the media's effects chain.

Text
NOTE This is the legacy Text generator, that is hidden by default in VEGAS and is only
shown when loading older projects that are using it. If you want to use it for new pro-
jects (we don't recommend this) you can make it visible in the Preferences | Deprec-
ated Features tab.

Use the Text generator to add text, such as titles or credits, to your existing video.

The Text generator is divided into four tabs: enter the text you want to display on the Edit
tab, and use the Placement, Properties, and Effects tabs to adjust the appearance of the
text.

TIP To display text over a video event, place the generated media event on a track
above the video.

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The Edit tab

Use the Edit tab to enter the text you want to display. The controls on this tab work just like
a word processor: type in the main portion of the tab, and use the controls at the top to
adjust the font, font size, bold/italic, and alignment properties for the text.

The Placement tab

Use the Placement tab to specify where your text will be displayed in the video frame.

You can choose a placement from the drop-down list, enter X,Y coordinates to specify the
center of the text, or drag the text box to determine text placement.

TIP Choose a setting from the SAFE ZONE drop-down list to adjust the size of the red
border around your text. You can use the Safe Zone to ensure your text will not be
cropped on a television screen.

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The Properties tab

Use the Properties tab to specify the color of your text, the color of the text background,
and the spacing between characters and lines.

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Item Description

Use the color sliders or enter RGB values to choose the color of
Text Color
your text.

Click to choose the color of the background.

Background If you choose a solid color, the video below your text will be
Color obscured. If you choose a transparent color, your text will be dis-
played over the video.

Tracking Determines the amount space between text characters.

Drag to scale your text. A setting of 1.0 will use the size specified on
Scaling
the Edit tab.

Leading Determines the amount of space between lines of text.

Select this checkbox to automatically adjust the spacing between

Kern fonts at
characters.

The Effects tab

Use the Effects tab to apply special effects such as outlines, shadows, and deformation to
your text.

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Item Description

Select this checkbox and choose a color form the drop-down list if
Draw Outline
you want to add a colored outline to your text.

Drag the slider to determine how smoothly the text outline blends
Feather
in the background.

Width Drag the slider to specify the width of the outline.

Select this checkbox and choose a color form the drop-down list if
Draw Shadow
you want to add a colored shadow behind your text.

Drag the slider to determine how smoothly the text outline blends
Feather
in the background.

Drag the slider if you want to offset the shadow from the horizontal
X Offset
center of your text.

Drag the slider if you want to offset the shadow from the vertical
Y Offset
center of your text.

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Item Description

Enable
Select the checkbox if you want to apply deformation to your text.
Deformation

Type Choose a deformation type from the drop-down list.

Amount Drag the slider to set the degree of deformation.

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Appendix
Specifications 1235
Keyboard shortcuts 1238
Glossary 1266
Technical Support 1297

Appendix Deprecated Features 1233

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Specifications

System requirements
Operating systems Microsoft Windows 10 | 11

required for registering and validating the program,

Internet connection
as well as for some program functions.

Recommended for HD
6th Generation Intel Core i5 (or AMD equivalent) or
CPU
better with 2.5 Ghz and 4 Cores

RAM 16 GB

Hard drive space 2 GB free disk space for program installation

● NVIDIA® GeForce RTX or GTX 9XX series or

higher with 4GB
● AMD/ATI® Radeon with 4GB and VCE 3.0 or
GPU
higher (Radeon Pro series with 8GB for HDR
and 32 bit projects)
● Intel® GPU HD Graphics 630 series or higher

Recommended for 4K
7th Generation Intel Core i7 (or AMD equivalent) or
CPU
better with 3.0 Ghz and 8 Cores

RAM 32 GB min.

Appendix Specifications 1234

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

2 GB space for program installation, solid-state disk

Hard drive space
(SSD) for media files

● NVIDIA® GeForce RTX or GTX 9XX series or

higher with 4GB (8GB RTX series recom-

mended for 8K)

GPU ● AMD/ATI® Radeon with 4GB and VCE 3.0 or

higher (Radeon Pro series with 8GB for HDR

and 32 bit projects)
● Intel® GPU HD Graphics 630 series or higher

Recommended for AI Features

10th Generation Intel CPU i7 (or AMD equivalent) or
CPU
newer

RAM 32 GB min.

20xx GeForce RTX series Nvidia or 5xxx Radeon RX

GPU
series AMD or newer

Proxy workflow can be used to expedite 4K & 8K editing on all machines with recom-
mended specs for HD.

Appendix Specifications 1235

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Supported file formats

Import formats

Apple ProRes, Blackmagic RAW, HEVC/H.265, AVC/H.264, MP4,

MPEG-2, MPEG-1, AVI, WMV, M4V, Sony XAVC / XAVC-S / XDCAM
Video
EX / HD 422 / MXF / ProDisc / HDCAM SR, MPEG IMX, DV, HDV,
AVCHD, Panasonic P2, RED RAW

Audio AIFF, AAC, MP2, MP3, M4A, OGG Vorbis, WAV, WMA, FLAC

Image BMP, GIF, PNG, JPG, TIFF, DPX, OpenEXR, WDP, DNG

Premiere/After Effects (*.prproj), Final Cut Pro 7/ DaVinci Resolve

Other (*.xml), Final Cut Pro X (*.fcpxml), EDL Text File (*.txt), Broadcast
Wave Format, Closed Captioning (SRT)

Resolutions SD, HD, 4K, 8K

Export formats

Apple ProRes, HEVC/H.265, AVC/H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, MP4,

Video AVI, WMV, Sony XAVC / XAVC-S / MXF / HDCAM SR, Panasonic P2,
XDCAM EX

Audio AIFF, AAC, MP3, OGG Vorbis, WAV, WMA, FLAC

Image BMP, PNG, JPG, TIFF, DPX, OpenEXR

VEGAS Project Archive (*.veg, *.vf), Premiere/After Effects

Other (*.prproj), Final Cut Pro 7/DaVinci Resolve (*.xml), Final Cut Pro X
(*.fcpxml), EDL Text File (*.txt), XDCAM Disc

Resolutions SD, HD, 4K, 8K

Appendix Specifications 1236

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Keyboard shortcuts
The following shortcuts represent the default configuration. Your system may differ if

you've used the Customize Keyboard dialog to customize your keyboard shortcuts.
For more information, see Customizing keyboard shortcuts (p. 60)

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Project file shortcuts

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Create new project Ctrl+N

Create new project and bypass the Project

Ctrl+Shift+N
Properties dialog

Exit VEGAS Pro Alt+F4

Close the current project Ctrl+F4

Open existing project Ctrl+O

Project properties Alt+Enter

Save project Ctrl+S

Save project as Ctrl+Shift+S

Save Version (Incremental Save) Ctrl+Alt+S

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Magnification and view

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Set focus to timeline Alt+0

Show Explorer window Alt+1

Show Trimmer window Alt+2

Show Master Bus window Alt+3

Show Video Preview window Alt+4

Show Project Media window Alt+5

Show Project Notes window Alt+6

Show Transitions window Alt+7

Show Video FX window Alt+8

Show Media Generators window Alt+9

Show Plug-In Manager window Ctrl+Alt+1

Show Video Scopes window Ctrl+Alt+2

Show Surround Panner window Ctrl+Alt+3

Show Edit Details window Ctrl+Alt+4

Show Mixing Console window Ctrl+Alt+5

Show Device Explorer window Ctrl+Alt+6

Show Loudness Meters window Ctrl+Alt+7

Show Dashboard Ctrl+Alt+8

Open Color Grading Mode Alt+G

Open Motion Tracking Mode Alt+M

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1239

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Open Text to Speech Ctrl+Shift+P

Show/hide audio bus tracks B

Show/hide video bus tracks Ctrl+Shift+B

Show/hide event media markers Ctrl+Shift+K

Show/hide active take information Ctrl+Shift+I

Show/hide waveforms on events in the

Ctrl+Shift+W
timeline

Show/hide event buttons Ctrl+Shift+C

Toggle Event Headers Ctrl+Alt+M

Show/hide event fade lengths between selec-

Ctrl+Shift+T
ted and nonselected events:

Toggles the display of the frame under the

cursor or display split-screen previews when
you perform one of following edits: event slip,
event slip-trim, event slide, or cross-
fade/transition slide. For example, when you
drag the edge of a video event with this com- Ctrl+Shift+O
mand selected, the Video Preview window
will update to draw the last frame in the event
as you drag.

When the command is not selected, a static

frame is displayed.

Show/hide envelopes Ctrl+Shift+E

Show next window F6 or Ctrl+Tab

Show previous window Shift+F6 or Ctrl+Shift+Tab

Recall window layout Alt+D, then press 0-9

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Save window layout Ctrl+Alt+D, then press 0-9

Load default window layout Alt+D, then press D

Load default layout Alt+D, then press V

Load audio mixing window layout Alt+D, then press A

Load color correction window layout Alt+D, then press C

When both are visible, toggle focus between

track list and timeline (and bus track list and Tab
timeline if bus tracks are visible)

Switch focus to previous/next track or bus

Alt+Shift+Up/Down Arrow
track

Zoom in/out horizontally in small increments

Up/Down Arrow
(if timeline has focus)

Zoom in/out horizontally in large increments

Ctrl+Up/Down Arrow
or zoom to selection (if one exists)

Zoom in time until each video thumbnail rep-

Alt+Up Arrow
resents one frame

Decrease height of all tracks or bus tracks

Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow
(depending which has focus)

Increase height of all tracks or bus tracks

Ctrl+Shift+Up Arrow
(depending which has focus)

`
Minimize/restore track height
(grave accent)

Set track heights to default height Ctrl+`

Minimize/restore the window docking area F11 or Alt+`

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Maximize/restore the timeline vertically and

horizontally (window docking area and track Ctrl+F11 or Ctrl+Alt+`
list will be hidden)

Minimize/restore the track list Shift+F11 or Shift+Alt+`

Zoom waveforms in/out vertically (audio only) Shift+Up/Down Arrow

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 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Cursor placement, loop region, and time

selection
Most of the cursor placement commands, when combined with the Shift key, also perform
selection.

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Center view around cursor \

Go to Ctrl+G

Set end of time selection Ctrl+Shift+G

Go to beginning of time selection or viewable

Home
area (if no time selection)

Go to end of time selection or viewable area

End
(if no time selection)

Go to beginning of project Ctrl+Home or W

Go to end of project Ctrl+End

Select loop region Shift+Q

Restore previous five time selections Backspace

Move left by grid marks Page Up

Move right by grid marks Page Down

Move left/right one pixel (when QUANTIZE

Left or Right Arrow
TO FRAMES is turned off)

Move to previous/next marker Ctrl+Left/Right Arrow

Move one frame left/right Alt+Left or Right Arrow

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1243

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Move left/right to event edit points (including

Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right Arrow
fade edges)

Jog left/right (when not in edge-trimming

F3/F9
mode or during playback)

Move edit cursor to playback cursor position

Alt+Down Arrow
during playback

Move cursor to corresponding marker or

0-9 keys (not numeric keypad)
select corresponding region

Move to previous CD track Ctrl+Comma

Move to next CD track Ctrl+Period

Move to previous CD index or region Comma

Move to next CD index or region Period

Set in and out points I (in) and O (out)

Create time selection while dragging on an

Ctrl+Shift+drag with mouse
event

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1244

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

General editing
Command Keyboard Shortcut

Cut selection Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete

Copy selection Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert

Paste from clipboard Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert

Paste insert Ctrl+Shift+V

Paste repeat Ctrl+B

Delete selection Delete

Trim event to selection Ctrl+T

Render to new track Ctrl+M

Create Nested Timeline Alt+C

Open Nested timeline Alt+N

Open Parent Timeline Alt+P

Undo Ctrl+Z or Alt+Backspace

Redo Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y

Rebuild audio peaks Shift+F5

Switch to normal editing tool Ctrl+D

Switch to next editing tool D

Switch to previous editing tool Shift+D

Enable multicamera editing Ctrl+Shift+D

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1245

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Event selection and editing

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Range select Shift+click events

Multiple select Ctrl+click individual events

Select all Ctrl+A

Unselect all Ctrl+Shift+A

Cut selection Ctrl+X or Shift+Delete

Copy selection Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert

Paste from clipboard Ctrl+V or Shift+Insert

Paste insert Ctrl+Shift+V

Paste repeat Ctrl+B

Delete selection Delete

Split events at cursor S

Smart Split selected event Alt+S

Rename selected event F2

Trim/crop selected events Ctrl+T

Move cursor to edge of previous selected

Ctrl+[
event

Trim the start of the selected event to the

Alt+[
cursor position

Time select previous selected event Ctrl+Shift+[

Move cursor to edge of next selected event Ctrl+]

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1246

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Trim the end of the selected event to the

Alt+]
cursor position

Time select next selected event Ctrl+Shift+]

Move selected events one frame left/right Numeric Keypad 1/3

Move selected events one pixel left/right Numeric Keypad 4/6

Enter edge-trimming mode and select event

start; move to previous event edge

In this mode, 1, 3, 4, and 6 on the numeric Numeric Keypad 7 or [

keypad trim the selected event edge. Please
see below.

Enter edge-trimming mode and select event

Numeric Keypad 9 or ]
end; move to next event edge

Trim left/right (when in edge-trimming mode) F3/F9

Enter/exit expanded edit mode (or exit edge-

trimming mode)

You can also double-click an event edge to

enter expanded edit mode. Numeric Keypad 5

In this mode, 1, 3, 4, and 6 on the numeric

keypad trim the selected event edge. Please
see below.

Trim selected events one frame left/right Numeric Keypad 1/3

Time compress/stretch selected events one

Ctrl+Numeric Keypad 1/3
frame left/right

Slip trim selected events one frame left/right Alt+Numeric Keypad 1/3

L/J trim left/right by frames Shift+Numeric Keypad 1/3

Slide a transition or crossfade one frame

Ctrl+Alt+Numeric Keypad 1/3
left/right (trim adjacent)

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1247

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

L/J cut left/right by frames Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Numeric Keypad 1/3

Trim selected events one pixel left/right Numeric Keypad 4/6

Time compress/stretch selected events one

Ctrl+Numeric Keypad 4/6
pixel left/right

Slip trim selected events one pixel left/right Alt+Numeric Keypad 4/6

L/J trim left/right by pixels Shift+Numeric Keypad 4/6

Slide a transition or crossfade one pixel

Ctrl+Alt+Numeric Keypad 4/6
left/right (trim adjacent)

L/J cut left/right by pixels Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Numeric Keypad 4/6

Move selected events up/down one track Numeric Keypad 8/2

Slip: move media within event without mov-

Alt+drag inside the event
ing the event

Slip trim: moves the media with the edge as it

Alt+drag edge of event
is trimmed

L/J trim: ignores event grouping so you can

Shift+drag edge of event
trim audio and video events independently.

Trim adjacent: trims selected event and adja-

Ctrl+Alt+drag edge of event
cent event simultaneously

Trim adjacent while ignoring event grouping

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+drag edge of event
for fast L and J cuts.

Slip-trim right edge of event Alt+Shift+drag event

Event split or split/trim Ctrl+Alt+Shift+click or drag event

Slide: trims both ends of event sim-

Ctrl+Alt+drag middle of event
ultaneously

Slide crossfade: moves crossfade Ctrl+Alt+drag over a crossfade

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1248

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Stretch (compress) the media in the event

Ctrl+drag edge of event
while trimming

Raise pitch one semitone = (not numeric keypad)

Raise pitch one cent Ctrl+=

Raise pitch one octave Shift+=

Lower pitch one semitone - (not numeric keypad)

Lower pitch one cent Ctrl+-

Lower pitch one octave Shift+-

Reset pitch Ctrl+Shift+= or Ctrl+Shift+-

Select next take T

Select previous take Shift+T

Numeric Keypad / Numeric Keypad

Convert cut to transition
* Numeric Keypad -

Convert transition to cut Ctrl+Numeric Keypad /

Open in audio editor Ctrl+E

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1249

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Red Eye Reduction

The following commands apply to the Red Eye Reduction dialog.

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Right/Left Arrow
Scroll Left/Right
Press Shift to scroll quickly

Up/Down Arrow
Scroll Up/Down
Press Shift to scroll quickly

Page Up/Down
Jump to top/bottom of image
Shift+Home/End

Home/End
Jump to left/right edge of image
Shift+Page Up/Down

\
Jump to horizontal center of image
Numeric Keypad *

Shift+\
Jump to vertical center of image
Shift+Numeric Keypad *

Jump to horizontal and vertical center of

C
image

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1250

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Playback, recording, and preview

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Arm track for record Ctrl+Alt+R

Arm for record and set recording path Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R

Record Ctrl+R

Looped playback Q or Ctrl+Shift+L

Play from start Shift+Spacebar or Shift+F12

Start playback Spacebar

Play from any window Ctrl+Spacebar or F12

Play/pause Enter or Ctrl+F12

Stop playback Spacebar or Esc

Go to start of project Ctrl+Home

Go to end of project Ctrl+End

Go to previous frame Alt+Left Arrow

Go to next frame Alt+Right Arrow

Dim (attenuate) master bus output Ctrl+Shift+F12

Preview cursor position.

You can specify the length of the time that is

previewed using the CURSOR PREVIEW Numeric Keypad 0
DURATION box on the Editing tab of the
Preferences dialog.

Scrub playback J, K, or L

Selectively prerender video Shift+M

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1251

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Build dynamic RAM preview Shift+B

Toggle external monitor preview Alt+Shift+4

Generate MIDI timecode F7

Generate MIDI clock Shift+F7

Trigger from MIDI timecode Ctrl+F7

Enable multicamera editing Ctrl+Shift+D

Choose multicamera take 1-9

Choose multicamera take with crossfade Ctrl+1 - 9

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1252

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Timeline and track list

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Insert new audio track Ctrl+Q

Insert new video track Ctrl+Shift+Q

Insert adjustment track Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Q

Change audio track volume or video track

Ctrl+Left/Right Arrow
compositing level (when focus is on track list)

Change audio track panning or video track

fade-to-color setting (when focus is on track Ctrl+Shift+Left/Right Arrow
list and automation controls are visible)

Mute selected tracks Z

Mute selected track and remove other tracks

Shift+Z
from mute group

Solo selected tracks X

Solo selected track and remove other tracks

Shift+X
from solo group

Mute selected track group Ctrl+Alt+Z

Mute selected track group and remove other

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z
track groups from the mute group

Solo selected track group Ctrl+Alt+X

Solo selected track group and remove other

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+X
track groups from the solo group

Override snapping (if snapping is on) or

Shift+drag
enable snapping (if snapping is off)

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1253

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Quantize to frames Alt+F8

Enable/disable snapping F8

Snap to grid Ctrl+F8

Snap to markers Shift+F8

Snap to all events Ctrl+Shift+F8

Post-edit ripple affected tracks F

Post-edit ripple affected tracks, bus tracks,

Ctrl+F
markers, and regions

Post-edit ripple all tracks, markers, and

Ctrl+Shift+F
regions

Auto ripple mode Ctrl+L

Automatic crossfades Ctrl+Shift+X

Render to new track Ctrl+M

Group selected events G

Ungroup selected events U

Ignore event grouping Ctrl+Shift+U

Clear group without deleting events Ctrl+U

Select all events in group Shift+G

Insert/show/hide track volume envelope V

Remove track volume envelope Shift+V

Insert/show/hide track panning envelope P

Remove track panning envelope Shift+P

Cycle through effect automation envelopes E and Shift+E

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1254

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Show/hide envelopes Ctrl+Shift+E

Select envelope point and hold the

Adjust envelope point up/down by one pixel mouse button; press 8 or 2 on the
numeric keypad

Select envelope point and hold the

Adjust envelope point left /right by one pixel mouse button; press 4 or 6 on the
numeric keypad

Adjust envelope point value in fine incre-

Ctrl+ drag envelope point or seg-
ments without changing the point's timeline
ment
position

Adjust envelope point value in normal incre-

Ctrl+Alt+ drag envelope point or
ments without changing the point's timeline
segment
position

Adjust envelope point's timeline position

Alt+ drag
without changing its value

Insert command marker C

Insert marker M

Insert region R

Insert CD track region N

Insert CD track index Shift+N

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1255

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Trimmer commands
The following commands apply to the Trimmer window. Many of the shortcuts that apply to
the timeline also work in the Trimmer. This list highlights commands unique to the Trimmer.

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Add media from cursor: adds the current selec-

tion to the timeline as an event; if there is no
A
selection in the Trimmer, the entire clip is
used.

Add media to cursor Shift+A

Transfer time selection from timeline to Trim-

T
mer after cursor

Transfer time selection from timeline to Trim-

Shift+T
mer before cursor

Toggle selected stream: audio/video/both Tab

Toggle audio/video stream height Ctrl+Shift+ Up/Down Arrow

Sort Trimmer history H

Clear Trimmer history Ctrl+Shift+H

Remove current media from Trimmer history Ctrl+H

Save markers/regions S

Toggle automatic marker/region saving Shift+S

Open in audio editor Ctrl+E

Show video in Video Preview window Ctrl+P

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1256

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Track Motion
The following commands apply to the Track Motion and 3D Track Motion windows.

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Change 3D layout 1-6 (not numeric keypad)

Lock aspect ratio A

Scale about center C

Edit in object space O

Prevent movement X, Y, and Z

Prevent scaling Shift+X, Shift+Y, and Shift+Z

Enable snapping F8

Enable rotation Shift+F8

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1257

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Surround Panner
AddCtrl to the following shortcuts if you want to move the pan point in fine increments.

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Shift+drag the pan point (only

Constrain motion to a line through the center
of the Surround Panner when MOVE FREELY is selec-
ted)

Alt+drag the pan point (only when

Constrain motion to a constant radius from
MOVE FREELY is selected)
the center
Alt+mouse wheel

Alt+Shift+drag the pan point (only

Constrain motion to the maximum circle that when MOVE FREELY is selec-
will fit in the Surround Panner ted)

Alt+Shift+mouse wheel

Up/Down Arrow
Move the pan point forward/back (when the
Page Up/Page Down
pan point is selected)
Mouse wheel

Left/Right Arrow
Move the pan point left/right (when the pan
Shift+Page Up/Page Down
point is selected)
Shift + mouse wheel forward/back

Move the pan point to a corner, edge, or cen-

ter of the Surround Panner (when the pan Numeric Keypad
point is selected and Num Lock is on)

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1258

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Move the pan point to a corner on the largest

circle that will fit in the Surround Panner
Ctrl+Numeric Keypad 1,3,7,9
(when the pan point is selected and Num
Lock is on)

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1259

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Mixing Console
Command Keyboard Shortcut

Rename selected channel F2

Insert new audio track Ctrl+Q

Cycle default/narrow/wide channel strips D/N/W

Hide the selected channel strip Shift+H

Show the Channel List pane Shift+C

Show/hide all channel strips Q

Show/hide audio bus channel strips U

Show/hide audio track channel strips A

Show/hide assignable effects channel strips E

Show/hide master bus channel strip T

Show/hide preview channel strip P

Show/hide fader ticks Shift+T

Show/hide control region labels Shift+L

Show/hide Faders control region F

Show/hide Insert FX control region I

Show/hide I/O control region H

Show/hide Meters control region M

Show/hide Sends control region S

Adjust selected fader Up/Down Arrow

Adjust left channel of stereo fader Shift+Up/Down Arrow

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1260

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Command Keyboard Shortcut

Adjust right channel of stereo fader Ctrl+Up/Down Arrow

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1261

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Miscellaneous
Command Keyboard Shortcut

Application Help F1

What's this help Shift+F1

Shortcut menu Shift+F10

Make fine fader/slider adjustments Ctrl+drag

Change relative keyframe spacing Alt+drag keyframes

Move region without changing length Alt+drag region tag

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1262

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Multimedia keyboard
Command Shortcut

Play/Pause Play/Pause

Play from start Shift+Play/Pause

Stop Stop

Mute track Mute

Mute track and remove other tracks from

Shift+Mute
mute group

Solo track Ctrl+Mute

Solo track and remove other tracks from solo

Ctrl+Shift+Mute
group

Change audio track volume or video track

Ctrl+Volume Up/Down
compositing level (when focus is on track list)

Change audio track panning or video track

fade-to-color setting (when focus is on track Shift+Volume Up/Down
list)

Change track focus Next/Prev Track

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1263

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Mouse wheel shortcuts

Command Shortcut

Zoom in/out Wheel

Scroll vertically Ctrl+wheel

Scroll horizontally Shift+wheel

Move the cursor in small increments

Trim the selected event edge one pixel (if

Ctrl+Shift+wheel
you're in edge-trimming mode)

Adjust scrub rate during playback

Move the cursor by frames

Trim the selected event edge one frame (if

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+wheel
you're in edge-trimming mode)

Adjust scrub rate during playback

Click wheel button and move mouse

Auto-scroll

Move fader/slider

In plug-in windows, click the control first to Hover over handle and use wheel
give it focus.

Ctrl+hover over fader and use

Move fader/slider in fine increments
wheel

Appendix Keyboard shortcuts 1264

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Glossary
µ-Law
Trim/Crop

A function that will delete all data in a sound file outside of the current selection.

Adaptive Delta Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM)

Adaptive Delta Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM)

A method of compressing audio data. Although the theory for compression using
ADPCM is standard, there are many different algorithms employed. For example,
Microsoft's ADPCM algorithm is not compatible with the International Multimedia Asso-
ciation's (IMA) approved ADPCM.

A-Law
A-Law

A compounded compression algorithm for voice signals defined by the Geneva Recom-
mendations (G.711). The G.711 recommendation defines A-Law as a method of encod-
ing 16-bit PCM signals into a non-linear 8-bit format. The algorithm is commonly used
in United States' telecommunications. A-Law is very similar to µ-Law, however, each
uses a slightly different coder and decoder.

Aliasing
Aliasing

Appendix Glossary 1265

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

A type of distortion that occurs when digitally recording high frequencies with a low
sample rate. For example, in a motion picture, when a car's wheels appear to slowly
spin backward while the car is quickly moving forward, you are seeing the effects of ali-
asing. Similarly when you try to record a frequency greater than one half of the
sampling rate (the Nyquist Frequency), instead of hearing a high pitch, you may hear a
low-frequency rumble.

To prevent aliasing, an anti-aliasing filter is used to remove high-frequencies before

recording. Once the sound has been recorded, aliasing distortion is impossible to
remove without also removing other frequencies from the sound. This same anti-ali-
asing filter must be applied when resampling to a lower sample rate.

Alpha Channel
Alpha Channel

Alpha is a fourth channel that determines how transparency is handled in an image file.
The RGB channels are blended to determine each pixel's color, and the corresponding
alpha channel determines each pixel's transparency. The alpha channel can have up to
256 shades of gray: 0 represents a transparent pixel, 255 represents an opaque pixel,
and intermediate values are semitransparent.

Amplitude Modulation (AM)

Amplitude Modulation (AM)

A process whereby the amplitude (loudness) of a sound is varied over time. When var-
ied slowly, a tremolo effect occurs. If the frequency of modulation is high, many side
frequencies are created which can strongly alter the timbre of a sound.

Analog
Analog

Appendix Glossary 1266

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

When discussing audio, this term refers to a method of reproducing a sound wave with
voltage fluctuations that are analogous to the pressure fluctuations of the sound
wave. This is different from digital recording in that these fluctuations are infinitely
varying rather than discrete changes at sample time. See "Quantization."

Aspect Ratio
Aspect Ratio

Describes the frame size of your video as a ratio of its width to its height. For example,
video shot in NTSC DV format has a frame size of 720 by 480 pixels, which is roughly a
1.33:1 aspect ratio:

720 (frame width) ÷ 480 (frame height) = 1.5

1.5 x 0.9091 (pixel aspect ratio) = 1.36365.

Frame Size Example

4:3 Standard Television

1.33:1 Aspect Ratio

16x9 Widescreen Television

1.78:1 Aspect Ratio

Academy Flat Theatrical Frame

1.85:1

Appendix Glossary 1267

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Frame Size Example

Academy Scope Theatrical Frame

2.35:1 Aspect Ratio

Attack
Attack

The attack of a sound is the initial portion of the sound. Percussive sounds (drums,
piano, guitar plucks) are said to have a fast attack. This means that the sound reaches
its maximum amplitude in a very short time. Sounds that slowly swell up in volume (soft
strings and wind sounds) are said to have a slow attack.

Audio Compression Manager (ACM)

Audio Compression Manager (ACM)

The Audio Compression Manager, from Microsoft, is a standard interface for audio
compression and signal processing for the Windows operating system. The ACM can
be used by software to compress and decompress .wav files.

Bandwidth
Bandwidth

When discussing audio equalization, each frequency band has a width associated with
it that determines the range of frequencies that are affected by the EQ. An EQ band
with a wide bandwidth will affect a wider range of frequencies than one with a narrow
bandwidth.

Appendix Glossary 1268

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

When discussing network connections, refers to the rate of signals transmitted; the
amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time (stated in bit-
s/second): a 56 Kbps network connection is capable of receiving 56,000 bits of data
per second.

Beats Per Measure

Beats Per Measure

The time signature of a piece of music contains two pieces of information: the number
of beats in each measure of music, and which note value gets one beat. uses this
notion to determine the number of ticks to put on the time ruler above the track view
and to determine the spacing when the ruler is displaying Measures & Beats.

Beats Per Minute (BPM)

Beats Per Minute (BPM)

The tempo of a piece of music can be written as a number of beats in one minute. If the
tempo is 60 BPM, a single beat will occur once every second.

Bit
Bit

A bit is the most elementary unit in digital systems. Its value can only be 1 or 0, cor-
responding to a voltage in an electronic circuit. Bits are used to represent values in the
binary numbering system. As an example, the 8-bit binary number 10011010 rep-
resents the unsigned value of 154 in the decimal system. In digital sampling, a binary
number is used to store individual sound levels, called samples.

Bit Depth
Bit Depth

Appendix Glossary 1269

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

The number of bits used to represent a single sample. software uses either 8, 16 or
24-bit samples. Higher values will increase the quality of the playback and any record-
ings that you make. While 8-bit samples take up less memory (and hard disk space),
they are inherently noisier than 16 or 24-bit samples.

Brightness
Brightness

Adjusting brightness adds or subtracts values from the color channels in an image to
make the image lighter or darker. The maximum brightness setting adds 255 (pure
white), and the minimum setting adds 0 (pure black).

Bus
Bus

A virtual pathway where signals from tracks and effects are mixed. A bus's output is a
physical audio device in the computer where the signal is routed. The configuration of
busses is saved with the project whereas the routing of busses to hardware is saved
with the system. In this way, projects can be easily moved from one system to another
without modifying the original layout of the project.

Byte
Byte

Refers to a set of 8 bits. An 8-bit sample requires one byte of memory to store, while a
16-bit sample takes two bytes of memory to store.

CCD
CCD

Appendix Glossary 1270

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Charge coupled device. The image sensor in a digital camera.

Chroma
Chroma

The values that convey chrominance information.

Chrominance
Chrominance

The color content of an image without respect to its brightness.

Clipboard
Clipboard

The clipboard is where data that you have cut or copied is stored. You can then paste
the data back into a different location on the timeline or paste it into other applic-
ations, such as Microsoft Word, or another instance of .

Clipping
Clipping

Clipping is what occurs when the amplitude of a sound is above the maximum allowed
recording level. In digital systems, clipping is seen as a clamping of the data to a max-
imum value, such as 32,767 in 16-bit data. Clipping causes sound to distort.

CODEC
CODEC

Appendix Glossary 1271

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

An acronym for Coder/Decoder. Commonly used when working with data com-
pression.

Complementary Color
Complementary Color

Complementary colors are colors that are 180 degrees apart on the color wheel. In the
following image, you can see that red and cyan are complementary colors, as are
magenta and green, and blue and yellow.

Contrast
Contrast

Adjusting contrast multiplies color values in an image to stretch the existing color chan-
nel values across a broader or narrower portion of the spectrum. The contrast center
determines the anchor point for stretching.

Histogram of original image.

Appendix Glossary 1272

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Contrast decreased with a contrast center of 0.5: the histogram is squeezed into a nar-
rower portion of the spectrum anchored from the center of the graph.

Contrast decreased with a contrast center of 0.0: the histogram is squeezed into a nar-
rower portion of the spectrum anchored at the left edge of the graph.

Contrast decreased with a contrast center of 1.0: the histogram is squeezed into a nar-
rower portion of the spectrum anchored at the right edge of the graph.

Crossfade
Crossfade

Mixing two pieces of media by fading one out as the other fades in.

Appendix Glossary 1273

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Cutoff Frequency
Cutoff frequency

The cutoff-frequency of a filter is the frequency at which the filter changes its
response. For example, in a low-pass filter, frequencies greater than the cutoff fre-
quency are attenuated while frequencies less than the cutoff frequency are not
affected.

DC Offset
DC Offset

DC Offset occurs when hardware, such as a sound card, adds DC current to a recor-
ded audio signal. This current causes the audio signal to alternate around a point
above or below the normal -infinity dB (center) line in the sound file. To visually see if
you have a DC offset present, you can zoom all the way into a sound file and see if it
appears to be floating over the center line.

Decibel (dB)
Decibel (dB)

A unit used to represent a ratio between two numbers using a logarithmic scale. For
example, when comparing the numbers 14 and 7, you could say 14 is two times greater
than the number 7; or you could say 14 is 6 dB greater than the number 7. Engineers

Appendix Glossary 1274

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

use the equation dB = 20 x log (V1/V2) when comparing two instantaneous values.
Decibels are commonly used when dealing with sound because the ear perceives loud-
ness in a logarithmic scale.

In , most measurements are given in decibels. For example, if you want to double the
amplitude of a sound, you apply a 6 dB gain.

Device Driver
Device Driver

A program that enables the Windows operating system to connect different hardware
and software. For example, a sound card device driver is used by software to control
sound card recording and playback.

Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

A general term describing anything that alters digital data. Digital Signal Processors
alter the data after it has been digitized by using a combination of programming and
mathematical techniques. DSP techniques are used to perform many effects such as
equalization and reverb simulation.

Dithering
Dithering

The practice of adding noise to a signal to mask quantization noise.

Drag and Drop

Drag and Drop

Appendix Glossary 1275

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

A quick way to perform certain operations using the mouse in . To drag and drop, you
click and hold a highlighted selection, drag it (hold the left-mouse button down and
move the mouse) and drop it (let go of the mouse button) at another position on the
screen.

Dynamic Range
Dynamic Range

The difference between the maximum and minimum signal levels. It can refer to a
musical performance (high volume vs. low volume signals) or to electrical equipment
(peak level before distortion vs. noise floor). For example, orchestral music has a wide
dynamic range while thrash metal has a very small (always loud) range.

Endian (Little and Big)

Endian (Little and Big)

Little and Big Endian describe the ordering of multi-byte data that is used by a com-
puter's microprocessor. Little Endian specifies that data is stored in a low to high-byte
format; this ordering is used by the Intel microprocessors. Big Endian specifies that
data is stored in a high to low-byte format; this ordering is used by the Motorola micro-
processors.

Envelopes (Audio and Video)

Envelopes (Audio and Video)

Envelopes allow you to automate the change of a certain parameter over time. In the
case of volume envelopes, you can create a fade out (which requires a change over
time) by adding an envelope and creating an extra point to the line that indicates
where the fade starts. Then you pull the end point of the envelope down to infinity.

Appendix Glossary 1276

 VEGAS Pro 22 | Manual

Equalization (EQ)
Equalization (EQ)

The process by which certain frequency bands are raised or lowered in level. EQ has
various uses. The most common use for users is to simply adjust the subjective
timbral qualities of a sound.

Event
Event

An event is an occurrence of a media file on the timeline. Each event can contain more
than one media file. Each media file in an event is called a take. An event also provides
access to features that allow cropping, fade in and out, opacity, gain, and other tools
to control and edit events. Events are divided into two broad categories: Video events
and Audio events. Some of the tools are specific to the type of event: audio or video.

File Format
File Format

A file format specifies the way in which data is stored on your floppy disks or hard
drive. In the Windows operating system, the most common file format is the Microsoft
.WAV format. However, can read and write to many other file formats so you can main-
tain compatibility with other software and hardware configurations.

Frame Rate (Audio)

Frame Rate (Audio)

Audio uses frame rates only for the purposes of synching to video or other audio. In
the latter case, the rate of 30 non-drop is typically used. In the former case 30 drop is
usually used.

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Frame Rate (Video)

Frame Rate (Video)

The speed at which individual images in the video are displayed on the screen during
playback. A faster frame rate results in smoother motion in the video. The television
frame rate in the US (NTSC) is 29.97 frames per second (fps). In many parts of Europe
and Japan, the television standard is PAL at 25 fps.

Frequency Spectrum
Frequency Spectrum

The Frequency Spectrum of a signal refers to its range of frequencies. In audio, the fre-
quency range is basically 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The frequency spectrum sometimes
refers to the distribution of these frequencies. For example, bass-heavy sounds have
a large frequency content in the low end (20 Hz - 200 Hz) of the spectrum.

Gamma
Gamma

Determines the brightness of the video and is used to compensate for differences
between the source and output video and sometimes needs to be calibrated to match
the source or destination. Higher gamma values result in lighter or brighter video as dis-
played on your computer's monitor.

Gamut
Gamut

Gamut refers to the complete range of something. In video editing, you want to ensure
that your colors are within the acceptable range for your broadcast standard. When

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colors are outside the NTSC or PAL gamut, you can introduce image problems or noise
into the video stream. You can use the video scopes to analyze your video before ren-
dering and correct out-of-gamut colors with video plug-ins.

Hertz (Hz)
Hertz (Hz)

The unit of measurement for frequency or cycles per second (CPS).

In-Place Plug-In
In-Place Plug-In

An in-place plug-in processes audio data so that the output length always matches the
input length. A non-in-place plug-in's output length need not match a given input
length at any time: for example, Time Stretch, Gapper/Snipper, Pitch-Shift (without pre-
serving duration), and some Vibrato settings can create an output that is longer or
shorter than the input.

Insertion Point
Insertion Point

The insertion point (also referred to as the cursor position) is analogous to the cursor
in a word processor. It is where pasted data will be placed or other data may be inser-
ted depending on the operation.

Inverse Telecine (IVTC)

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Inverse Telecine (IVTC)

Telecine is the process of converting 24 fps (cinema) source to 30 fps video (tele-
vision) by adding pulldown fields. Inverse telecine, then, is the process of converting
30 fps (television) video to 24 fps (cinema) by removing pulldown.

Invert Data
Invert Data

Inverting sound data reverses the polarity of a waveform around its baseline. Inverting
a waveform does not change the sound of a file; however, when you mix different
sound files, phase cancellation can occur, producing a "hollow" sound. Inverting one of
the files can prevent phase cancellation.

ISRC Code
ISRC Code

Industry Standard Recording Codes (ISRC) were designed to identify CD tracks. The
ISRC code is a 12-character alphanumeric sequence in the following format:

Field A B C D E

Sample ISRC SE T38 86 302 12

Field Description

A Country — Represents the recording's country of origin.

First Owner — Assigned ID for the producer of the project. Each coun-
B
try has a board that assigns these codes.

C Year of Recording — Represents the year the recording was made.

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Field Description

Recording — Represents the recording's serial number made by the

same producer in that year:
● This value will use three digits (300-999) when the CD has 10
D
or more tracks.
● This value will use four digits (0001-2999) when the CD has 9
or fewer tracks.

Recording Item (1 or 2 digits) Identifies tracks on a CD (each track can

E
have a different ISRC code).

Luma
Luma

The values that convey luminance information.

Luminance
Luminance

The brightness of an image without respect to its color content.

Markers
Markers

Saved locations in the sound file. Markers are stored in the Regions List and can be
used for quick navigation.

Media Control Interface (MCI)

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Media Control Interface (MCI)

A standard way for applications to communicate with multimedia devices like sound
cards and CD players. If a device has a MCI device driver, it can easily be controlled by
most multimedia software.

Media Player
Media Player

A Microsoft Windows program that can play digital sounds or videos using MCI
devices. Media Player is useful for testing your sound card setup.

MIDI Clock
MIDI Clock

A MIDI device specific timing reference. It is not absolute time like MTC, instead it is a
tempo dependent number of "ticks" per quarter note. MIDI Clock is convenient for
synching devices that need to do tempo changes mid-song. supports MIDI Clock out,
but does not support MIDI Clock in.

MIDI Port
MIDI Port

A MIDI Port is the physical MIDI connection on a piece of MIDI gear. This port can be a
MIDI in, out or through. Your computer must have a MIDI to output MIDI Time Code to
an external device or to receive MIDI Time code from an external device.

MIDI Time Code (MTC)

MIDI Time Code (MTC)

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MTC is an addendum to the MIDI 1.0 Specification and provides a way to specify abso-
lute time for synchronizing MIDI capable applications. Basically, it is a MIDI rep-
resentation of SMPTE timecode.

Mix
Mix

A function performs inherently by adding events to multiple audio tracks.

Multiple Stereo
Multiple Stereo

A mixer configuration that allows you to assign individual tracks to any number of ste-
reo output busses. In single stereo mode, all tracks go out the same stereo bus. Mul-
tiple stereo configuration allows you to keep your signals from the tracks discrete if
you want them to be.

Musical Instrument Device Interface (MIDI)

Musical Instrument Device Interface (MIDI)

A standard language of control messages that provides for communication between

any MIDI compliant devices. Anything from synthesizers to lights to factory equipment
can be controlled via MIDI. utilizes MIDI for synchronization purposes.

Noise-shaping
Noise-shaping

Noise-shaping is a technique that can minimize the audibility of quantization noise by

shifting its frequency spectrum. For example, in 44,100 Hz audio quantization noise is
shifted towards the Nyquist Frequency of 22,050 Hz.

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Nondestructive Editing
Nondestructive Editing

This type of editing involves a pointer-based system of keeping track of edits. When
you delete a section of audio in a nondestructive system, the audio on disk is not actu-
ally deleted. Instead, a set of pointers is established to tell the program to skip the
deleted section during playback.

Normalize
Normalize

Refers to raising the volume so that the highest level sample in the file reaches a user
defined level. Use this function to make sure you are fully utilizing the dynamic range
available to you.

Nyquist Frequency
Nyquist Frequency

The Nyquist Frequency (or Nyquist Rate) is one half of the sample rate and represents
the highest frequency that can be recorded using the sample rate without aliasing. For
example, the Nyquist Frequency of 44,100 Hz is 22,050 Hz. Any frequencies higher
than 22,050 Hz will produce aliasing distortion in the sample if no anti-aliasing filter is
used while recording.

Pan
Pan

To place a mono or stereo sound source perceptually between two or more speakers.

Peak Data File

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Peak Data File

The file created by when a file is opened for the first time. This file stores the inform-
ation regarding the graphic display of the waveform so that opening a file is almost
instantaneous in direct edit mode. This file is stored in the directory that the file
resides in and has a .sfk extension.

Pixel Aspect
Pixel Aspect

The pixel aspect determines whether the pixels are square (1.0) which refers to com-
puters, or rectangular (settings other than 1.000) which typically refers to televisions.
The pixel aspect ratio, together with the frame size, determine the frame aspect ratio.

Plug-In
Plug-In

An effect that can be added to the product to enhance the feature set. supports all Dir-
ectX plug-ins. The built-in EQ, Compression and Dithering effects are also considered
plug-ins because they work in other DirectX-compatible applications.

Plug-In Chain
Plug-In Chain

Plug-ins can string together into a chain so that the output of one effect feeds into the
input of another. This allows for complex effects that could not otherwise be created.

Pre-roll/Post-roll
Pre-roll/Post-roll

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Pre-roll is the amount of time elapsed before an event occurs. Post-roll is the amount
of time after the event. The time selection defines the pre- and post-roll when record-
ing into a selected event.

Preset
Preset

A snapshot of the current settings in a plug-in. Presets are created and named so that
you can easily get back to a sound that you have previously created.

Pull-down
Zipper noise

Zipper noise occurs when you apply a changing gain to a signal, such as when fading
out. If the gain does not change in small enough increments, zipper noise can become
very noticeable. Fades are accomplished using 64-bit arithmetic, thereby creating no
audible zipper noise.

Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)

Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)

PCM is the most common representation of uncompressed audio signals. This method
of coding yields the highest fidelity possible when using digital storage.

Punch-In
Pulldown

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In telecine conversion, fields are added to convert 24 fps film to 30 fps video. In 2-3
pulldown, for example, the first frame is scanned into two fields, the second frame is
scanned into three fields, and so on for the duration of the film. 2-3 pulldown is the
standard for NTSC broadcasts of 24p material. Use 2-3 pulldown when printing to
tape, but not when you intend to use the rendered video in a project.

FIGURE 24 fps film (top) and resulting NTSC video with 2-3 pulldown fields (bottom)

Use 2-3-3-2 pulldown when you plan to use your rendered video as source media.
When removing 2-3-3-2 pulldown, Frame three is discarded, and the pulldown fields
in the remaining frames are merged:

FIGURE 24 fps film (top) and resulting NTSC video with 2-3-3-2 pulldown fields (bottom)

Quadraphonic
Punch-In

Punching-in during recording means automatically starting and stopping recording at

user-specified times.

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Quantization
Quadraphonic

A mixing implementation that allows for four discrete audio channels. These are usu-
ally routed to two front speakers and two back speakers to create immersive audio
mixes.

Quantization Noise
Quantization

The process by which measurements are rounded to discrete values. Specifically with
respect to audio, quantization is a function of the analog to digital conversion process.
The continuous variation of the voltages of an analog audio signal are quantized to dis-
crete amplitude values represented by digital, binary numbers. The number of bits
available to describe these values determines the resolution or accuracy of quant-
ization.

Region
Quantization Noise

A result of describing an analog signal in discrete digital terms. This noise is most eas-
ily heard in low-resolution digital sounds that have low bit depths and is similar to a
"shhhhh" type sound while the audio is playing. It becomes more apparent when the
signal is at low levels, such as when doing a fade out.

Resample
Region

A subsection of a sound file. You can define any number of regions in a project or
media file.

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Ripple
Ripple

"Ripple" refers to the automatic adjustment or linking of adjacent elements to accom-

modate changes. So, when you edit events on a track and activate the Ripple function,
adjacent keyframes and envelopes on the relevant tracks are automatically adjusted -
depending on the settings - to ensure the consistency of the editing.

Ruler Tags
Resample

The act of recalculating samples in a sound file at a different rate than the file was ori-
ginally recorded. If a sample is resampled at a lower rate, sample points are removed
from the sound file decreasing its size, but also decreasing its available frequency
range. When resampling to a higher sample rate, extra sample points in the sound file
are interpolated. This increases the size of the sound file but does not increase the
quality. When down-sampling one must be aware of aliasing.

Ruler, Time
Ruler Tags

Small tab-shaped controls above the time ruler that represent the location of markers,
regions, and loop points in the waveform display.

Sample
Ruler, Time

The time ruler is the area on a data window above the tracks display window that
shows the horizontal axis units.

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Sample Rate
Sample

The word sample is used in many different (and often confusing) ways when talking
about digital sound. Here are some of the different meanings:

A discrete point in time that a sound signal is divided into when digitizing. For example,
an audio CD-ROM contains 44,100 samples per second. Each sample is really only a
number that contains the amplitude value of a waveform measured over time.

A sound that has been recorded in a digital format; used by musicians who make short
recordings of musical instruments to be used for composition and performance of
music or sound effects. These recordings are called samples. In this help system, we
try to use sound file instead of sample whenever referring to a digital recording.

The act of recording sound digitally, i.e. to sample an instrument means to digitize and
store it.

Shortcut Menu
Sample Value

The sample value (also referred to as sample amplitude) is the number stored by a
single sample. In 16-bit audio, these values range from -32768 to 32767. In 8-bit
audio, they range from -128 to 127. The maximum allowed sample value is often
referred to as 100% or 0 dB.

Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Shortcut Menu

A context-sensitive menu that appears when you right-click on certain areas of the
screen. The functions available in the shortcut menu depend on the object being
clicked on as well as the state of the program. As with any menu, you can select an

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item from the shortcut menu to perform an operation. Shortcut menus are used fre-
quently for quick access to many commands. An example of a shortcut menu can be
found by right-clicking on any waveform display in a data window.

Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a measurement of the difference between a recor-

ded signal and noise levels. A high SNR is always the goal. The maximum signal-to-
noise ratio of digital audio is determined by the number of bits per sample. In 16-bit
audio, the signal to noise ratio is 96 dB while in 8-bit audio its 48 dB. However, in prac-
tice this SNR is never achieved, especially when using low-end electronics.

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)

Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI)

A standard interface protocol for connecting devices to your computer. The SCSI bus
can accept up to seven devices at a time including CD ROM drives, hard drives and
samplers.

Sound Card
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)

SMPTE timecode is used to synchronize time between devices. The timecode is cal-
culated in Hours:Minutes:Second:Frames, where Frames are fractions of a second
based on the frame rate. Frame rates for SMPTE timecode are 24, 25, 29.97 and 30
frames per second.

Stereo
Sound Card

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The sound card is the audio interface between your computer and the outside world. It
is responsible for converting analog signals to digital and vice versa. will work with
any Windows-compatible sound card.

Surround
Stereo

Mixer implementation that includes two discrete channels

Telecine
Surround

5.1 surround is a mixer implementation that includes six discrete channels

Tempo
Telecine

The process of creating 30 fps video (television) from 24 fps film (cinema).

Time Format
Tempo

Tempo is the rhythmic rate of a musical composition, usually specified in beats per
minute (BPM).

Track
Time Format

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The format used to display the time ruler and selection times. These include Time,
Seconds, Frames, and all standard SMPTE frame rates. The status format is set for
each sound file individually.

Trim/Crop
Track

A discrete timeline for audio data. Audio events sit on audio tracks and determine
when a sound starts and stops. Multiple audio tracks are mixed together to give you a
composite sound that you hear through your speakers.

Undo Buffer
µ-Law

µ-Law (mu-Law) is a companded compression algorithm for voice signals defined by

the Geneva Recommendations (G.711). The G.711 recommendation defines µ-Law as a
method of encoding 16-bit PCM signals into a non-linear 8-bit format. The algorithm is
commonly used in European and Asian telecommunications. µ-Law is very similar to A-
Law, however, each uses a slightly different coder and decoder.

Undo/Redo
Undo Buffer

This is the temporary file created before you do any processing to a project. This undo
buffer allows the ability to rewrite previous versions of the project if you decide you do
not like changes you have made to the project. This undo buffer is erased when the file
is closed or the CLEAR UNDO HISTORY command is invoked.

Undo/Redo History
Undo/Redo

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These commands allow you to change a project back to a previous state, when you do
not like the changes you have made, or reapply the changes after you have undone
them. The ability to Undo/Redo is only limited by the size of your hard drive.

Video for Windows (AVI)

Undo/Redo History

A list of all of the functions that have been performed to a file that are available to be
undone or redone. Undo/Redo History gives you the ability to undo or redo multiple
functions as well as preview the functions for quick A/B-ing of the processed and
unprocessed material.

Virtual MIDI Router (VMR)

Video for Windows (AVI)

A file format for digital video.

Zero-crossing
Virtual MIDI Router (VMR)

A software-only router for MIDI data between programs. software uses the VMR to
receive MIDI timecode and send MIDI clock. No MIDI hardware or cables are required
for a VMR, so routing can only be performed between programs running on the same
PC.

Zipper noise
Zero-crossing

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A zero-crossing is the point where a fluctuating signal crosses the zero-amplitude

axis. By making edits at zero-crossings with the same slope, the chance of creating
glitches is minimized. The fade edit edges setting is used to make zero crossing at
event edges by fading the waveform to 0-amplitude over a short period of time.

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Technical Support
If you experience problems or have questions while using VEGAS Pro, our technical sup-
port department is always ready to help you. Additional support and information can be
found at http://www.vegascreativesoftware.com.

For a detailed list of Technical Support options, please visit our web site.

Appendix Technical Support 1296